The Savior, the Witch, and the Evil Queen
by RowArk
Summary: AU: Regina is a high school teacher at Storybrooke high school. Emma is a new student, and the first student ever to transfer into Storybrooke's education system, and it doesn't take long for people to notice the changes occurring around town the moment she arrives. Swan Queen :)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, since I went to high school in Ontario, some of the stuff might seem odd. Here (at least when I went to school), it's four 75 minute periods per day (2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon), and everyone takes lunch at the same time (which is 55 minutes). And two semesters, so eight courses per year. I know schools elsewhere operate differently, and even though OUAT is set in America, I only know Canadian school, so that's a heads up if it seems odd at all :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Regina sat and straightened out the papers on her desk. It was 8:00am on the first day of another school year. In another fifteen minutes or so, a whole new class of disinterested teenagers would wander in, being too noisy and too rambunctious and not nearly enthusiastic enough about actually _learning_. How was it that today was the first day, and yet it seemed like just yesterday had been the first day of school?

Regina sighed. She really needed to get a life, it seemed. Summer had just passed, and yet it already seemed like a hazy blur, as if there had been no summer at all. She was really not in the mood for this today.

She jumped when there was an unexpected knock at the door. Her dark eyes flashed towards the window on the door, where she saw Archie Hopper, smiling away. Always smiling, Regina noted, as she stood up to open the door. She wondered what on earth he had to be so happy about.

"Morning, Regina," Archie said, as he handed her a piece of paper.

"What's this?" Regina asked, failing to return the greeting, as she normally did.

"Uh, newly revised class schedule for your second period English class. We had a new student transfer, last minute," Archie shrugged.

Regina quirked an eyebrow. In all her years teaching at Storybrooke high school, they had never had a student transfer. All of these kids had been in the Storybooke education system since kindergarten, and had gone through all the grades together. She scanned the names, and the new one popped out at her quickly: Emma Swan.

"Where did she even come from?" Regina asked. "I don't remember any new families moving here recently."

"She's a foster kid, she's staying with David and Mary Margaret Nolan. They took in three kids, as far as I understand it. Emma and two boys, but the boys are younger," Archie explained.

"I see," Regina nodded. "Thank you Dr. Hopper."

Archie nodded and headed back down the hall to the guidance office. Regina watched after him for a moment, thinking for the millionth time how he was really in the wrong profession. With his experience and background, he should have been running his own practice by now. What was a licensed psychiatrist doing working in the guidance office of a small town high school?

She sighed and dropped the revised class list on her desk, and started writing her name on the board as the first of the students in her first period American Literature class trickled in. She wondered why she ever bothered to erase her name from the blackboard in the first place, since it felt like she wrote it every damn day.

She went through the motions, handing out the syllabus to her new students and going through it item by item. They all groaned when she assigned their first required reading of the semester, and then went back to sit at her desk while they got started. She rolled her eyes as they grumbled about having to read _Lord of the Flies_ , as if she had assigned _The Odyssey_ or something. It was no surprise to her that this country was going to hell in a hand basket, when she stared at the glazed over expressions of the future generation.

When 9:00am hit, Regina nearly jumped out of her skin at an unfamiliar chiming sound, almost like a clock. Several students heard it, too, and were looking out the window.

"The clock's working!" one exclaimed.

"Back to work," Regina said, simply.

"But Ms. Mills," the student started to protest.

"It's a clock," she said, "get to work."

"Whatever." She heard the grumble but chose to ignore it, for now.

The bell rang at twenty to ten, and Regina was already prepped for her senior English class that would be pouring in any minute. Senior classes were at least more tolerable to her. The students weren't quite so vapid, for the most part.

She scanned the students as they walked in, and it wasn't hard to spot the new one. Even if it weren't for the fact that Regina recognized all the students in her senior class anyway, having taught them all at one point or another during their high school careers, the absolutely lost look on the blonde's face would have given her away anyway.

"Miss Swan, I presume," Regina asked, walking up to the girl. She had on skinny jeans, a white tank and a red leather jacket.

"Yeah," the girl replied, shifting uncomfortably.

Regina forced a thin smile, fighting the urge to correct her with a _yes_. "I'm Ms. Mills. Feel free to take a seat anywhere. I don't enforce a seating plan," Regina said. Emma nodded, and found a seat near the middle of the room.

"Alright class," Regina started at the front of the room, once the syllabus, "welcome to senior English. I'm Ms. Mills, as I'm sure you're all aware. As you can see by the syllabus, we will be starting with Hamlet."

There was an audible groan from the back corner of the room. "Mr. Jones," Regina said, calling everyone's attention to Killian, "since you feel the need to make your presence known, please proceed in passing out the texts to the rest of your class."

Killian groaned again, as he grabbed the books and started passing them out to the rows.

"Now, Mr. Jones, would you be so kind as to read aloud the part of Franscico? And Miss Lucas, you can read Bernardo."

Regina glanced around the room as Ruby started reading her part. The class seemed less than enthralled, as per usual. No wonder she hated her job.

She cringed as Killian began massacring his first line. "Iambic pentameter," Regina reminded him.

"What?" Killian asked.

"Iambic pentameter," Regina said again, her annoyance quite obvious.

"Uh, this is English class. Speak English," Killian said. Most of the class laughed.

"Oh my God!"

Regina looked around for a moment, trying to figure out who belonged to that exasperated voice. It didn't take long to figure it out, as Emma continued to talk.

"Iambic pentameter," Emma repeated, "it means ten syllables per line, and you alternate emphasis back and forth. It's not rocket science."

Regina smirked as she watched Emma turn her eyes back to her text. "Miss Swan, why don't you take over for Mr. Jones?"

"What? Why?" Emma protested.

"I don't tolerate speaking out of turn in my classroom," Regina said, simply. Truthfully, she _was_ glad that at least someone knew what the hell she was talking about. These kids had studied Shakespeare for the last three years, and yet at the beginning of every senior English class every semester, they always acted like they'd never heard of it. At least Emma wasn't butchering every line, but Regina really couldn't let the new girl think she had free reign of this classroom.

Regina nearly jumped out of her skin again, when the clock tower chimed at ten. Just like the first time, several heads snapped around to look out the window in disbelief. She noticed right away that Emma looked confused, and it occurred to her that a clock chiming should not cause _this_ much of a disturbance in a classroom.

And yet, Regina couldn't remember a time where the clock actually worked.

"Alright, it's just a clock," Regina said, garnering her students' attention again. "Please pair up and read through the rest of this scene together. Miss Lucas, will you please pair up with Miss Swan, as I'm sure she doesn't know anyone yet. If you have questions, please raise your hands."

She was well aware of the groans and eye rolls as the students found themselves partners, but her attention was caught on the teachers gathering out in the hallway. She cast her glance a quick glance, and stepped outside to see what was going on.

"Oh, Regina!" Archie said, walking up to her again. "Did you see the clock is working again?"

"You're not _seriously_ all out here discussing a clock, are you?" Regina asked, eying the small group suspiciously.

"Oh, no no," Archie shook his head. "We're discussing the mayor's impending visit today."

"The mayor? Why would the mayor be coming to the school?"

"Well, that's why we're out here. We're trying to figure it out. Her intern just called and said the Mayor will be coming to do an inspection on the school, since it's municipal property."

"That has got to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Regina scoffed.

"Well, be sure to tell her that," Jefferson said, walking up beside Regina, " because I heard that she's coming _specifically_ to audit your classes."

Regina rolled her eyes. "On the first day of classes. That's just marvelous. I guess I'd better get back in there then."

Regina shook her head as she re-entered the classroom. "Back to work!" she snapped, as several students were now just chit-chatting. "It's been two minutes, there's no way any of you are done."

She pretended she didn't hear one student mumble "bitch" under his breath. She didn't have time to worry about that right now. What the hell was the Mayor coming to the school for? And why on earth did she want to audit Regina's classes?

 _God, I need a vacation_.

* * *

 **What do you think? This chapter is short because it's just kind of the start, and I want to get a feel for what people think of it so far, so let me know if I should continue :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Just want to say, thanks for the amazing feedback so far :) And, I just want to clear up a few things for all that are wondering:**

 **1\. This is AU, but the curse was cast. Something happened that caused it not to go as planned for Regina (clearly) and what that thing is is part of the mystery of this story, but will be revealed in time**

 **2\. Some characters (like Hook and Ruby) have had their ages changed, just because there really are no teenagers in Storybrooke and I needed some lol**

 **3\. Henry will be in this story but he's not Emma & Regina's son in it, and he's of no blood relation to either of them or anyone in Storybrooke. **

**4\. Everyone is still who they were in the EF (ie Regina was still the Evil Queen, etc) save for Killian, he never became Captain Hook, since he's still a teenager here**

 **5\. Some parameters of the curse have been changed, such as the age that the savior would return (since Emma's clearly not 28) but any relevant changes will be addressed**

 **6\. And YES this is a Swan Queen story**

 **And now, without further ado…..**

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

They were halfway through class when Regina received the second knock of the day on her classroom door. She turned her eyes to the window, and sure enough, there was the mayor, grinning wickedly through the glass window.

Well, Regina thought it looked like a wicked grin.

She sighed and got up to open the door, amidst the confused whispers of the students. First the clock, and now the mayor, this was going to go down as the most eventful day in Storybrooke High School's history.

"Madam Mayor," Regina greeted, as she opened the door.

"Ms. Mills, how lovely to see you," the mayor replied. Regina fought the urge to roll her eyes as she stepped back and allowed the other woman to enter.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Regina asked, trying to keep her voice as even as possible.

"Actually, I'm here to speak to your students," the mayor replied. Regina looked over at her class, and, not surprisingly, all eyes were on the two women speaking by the door. She sighed and walked over to the front of the room.

"Class, please close your books and direct your attention to the front," she instructed, as if all eyes weren't already on her. "Mayor Greene is here to speak with you."

The mayor stepped up beside Regina, who graciously ducked out of the way. She took a seat at an empty desk in the front corner, only mildly interested in what the other woman was going to say. She watched Zelena's eyes scan the room, and Regina's own eyes went to the outfit the mayor had on: black dress that was way too tight and far too short to wear at a school, and that hideous green necklace that Regina had never seen her without.

"Thank you, Ms. Mills," the mayor said, smiling at the class. "As I'm sure you are all aware, I'm Zelena Greene, the mayor of Storybrooke. I think I have met everyone here, except… what's your name?" Zelena asked, as her eyes fell onto Emma.

"Uh, Emma," Emma said, quietly.

"Pardon me, I didn't catch that?" Zelena said, taking a step closer to the class.

Emma cleared her throat and spoke a little louder. "Emma," she repeated. "Emma Swan."

"Emma Swan? Ah, yes, you are staying with the Nolans, is that correct? They are your foster parents, yes?"

Regina turned to look at Emma, who was looking around the room, nervously, her cheeks flushing in apparent embarrassment. She felt bad for the girl, who clearly didn't like having all the attention on herself in this way. "Mayor Greene," she cut in, "I think the class is anxious to hear what you have to say to them."

For her part, Zelena seemed to take the hint, and stopped her line of questioning. "Well, the reason I'm here is because my office is looking for a student intern – paid, of course - and I would like to personally invite you all to apply," Zelena said, opening her briefcase and pulling out a stack of papers that she began handing out, which Regina could only assume were some sort of job description or instructions to apply.

Regina _badly_ wanted to roll her eyes and what an outrageous waste of class time this was, but she was already on thin ice with the mayor, so she just watched, hoping that the red-head wouldn't take up too much more of her time.

Regina noticed that Zelena seemed to stop by Emma's desk, a little longer than was probably necessary, and she wondered what the mayor's fascination with this girl was. Perhaps, like the students and the clock, Zelena was enthralled by a new face in town, when no one ever came to Storybrooke.

"Ms. Mills, perhaps you could give your students class time tomorrow to work on their applications, and then you could check them over for spelling and grammar? Perhaps make a lesson out of it?"

Regina bit the inside of her lip. "That seems like an atrocious waste of time," she muttered under her breath.

"Sorry, didn't quite catch that," Zelena said, taking a step towards her.

"Hmm?" Regina asked. "Oh, I didn't say anything. I'm sure my students would _love_ to take a break from their actual lessons on the second day of school to apply for your internship."

Zelena offered Regina a tight smile that didn't come close to meeting her eyes. "See that they do," she said, before bidding adieu to the class and turning to head out the door.

When the mayor was gone, Regina finally rolled her eyes, and it felt just as glorious as cracking your back after a long day. She turned back to the class. "You are not getting class time tomorrow to work on this," she said, simply. "If you wish to apply, do so on your own time."

For the most part, no one seemed to care either way, and Regina noted that most of them had already shoved the job outline into their bags. The only one actually _looking_ at it seemed to be Emma.

 _Poor girl_ , Regina thought, _Zelena will eat her alive._

Everyone in Storybrooke knew that the mayor was a bitch, on a good day. On a bad day, she was downright _unbearable_. The citizens of Storybrooke not-so-lovingly referred to her at the Wicked Witch of the West, and surprisingly enough, Zelena didn't seem to mind. In fact, if Regina had to guess, she'd say the mayor wore the title like a badge of honour.

Someone should warn Emma.

Regina thought maybe she should say something to the girl, but then she wondered if it was really her place. What if she _wanted_ to go into politics or business? And, Regina figured, she was a foster kid, so probably a lot tougher than she looked. She was also quite clearly intelligent. Maybe she would be able to handle herself. She guessed maybe she should just mind her own business and let this new student she barely knew make her own life decisions. Who was she to dictate to others what to do anyway?

The clock chimed again ten minutes before the end of class, and this time Regina said nothing to stop the surprised chatter and whispers. She decided maybe it was best to let them get it out of their systems now, and perhaps tomorrow they could focus on their work rather than the clock.

When the bell rang, and the class was dismissed, Regina grabbed her purse and headed down to the teachers' lounge, hoping that no one was discussing that damn clock. To her relief, they weren't, but it didn't take long to realize everyone was discussing the other intrusion of the day.

"Hey, Gina, how was your classroom audit with Madam Bitch?" Jefferson asked, as she sat down next to him.

"Do _not_ call me that," Regina seethed, "and it was not an audit. She came in to offer my students a chance to apply to be her intern. Lord help them if any of them actually get it."

"Interesting," Jefferson nodded, "I wonder why she's going to Storybrooke Elementary then?"

"I didn't know she was," Regina shrugged.

"I talked to Mary Margaret earlier, and she said the mayor was coming to her classroom, too," Archie said, as he took his seat on the other side of Regina.

"Archie," Regina said, turning to him, "you said the Nolans took in two other foster kids, correct? Younger ones… any chance one of them wound up in Mary Margaret's class?"

"Actually, yes," Archie nodded. "She said the older boy would be in her class. She's got the only fourth grade class this year, so there was no other option. Why?"

Regina shook her head. "It's just… the mayor seemed to take a keen interest in Emma, and I'm not sure why. Now she's going to Mary Margaret's class?"

"Are you devising some sort of conspiracy theory, _Re-_ gina?" Jefferson laughed. "I thought that was my thing?"

"Is it _really_ that hard to use my full name? It's only three syllables. I don't call you 'ferson'."

Jefferson laughed again, and Regina thought he actually enjoyed pissing her off. "Relax, Regina. I've never seen someone so defensive over a _name_ as you are!"

Regina shrugged. "It's the only thing my birth mother ever gave me," she admitted.

And that was true. She didn't even really know _how_ she knew, but the fact that the woman who abandoned her had named her Regina before wrapping her in a blanket and placing her in a basket to be found by random wandering strangers was something that Regina always just _knew_ about herself, and it was the only connection she had to her birth mother.

And it was something she didn't like to talk about.

She excused herself from the conversation she was no longer interested in having, and got up to leave the teacher's lounge. She headed back to her classroom to get prepped for the rest of the day, and she was surprised to see Emma waiting by her door when she arrived.

"Miss Swan," Regina said, as she approached the door, "did you leave something in my room?" Emma flushed a little, and Regina wasn't quite sure why. She chalked it up to new-school jitters.

"Yeah, uh, my bag," Emma stammered.

Regina looked at her as she grabbed her keys and unlocked the door. "Your bag's on your shoulder, dear," she said, eyeing the backpack Emma clearly had.

"I had another bag," Emma said, as she followed Regina inside and quickly retrieved the messenger bag from under the desk she had been sitting in earlier.

"How are you enjoying this school so far?" Regina asked, as Emma tried to duck back out of the room. She wasn't even sure _why_ she stopped her. Talking to students during her lunch hour was not her favourite pastime.

"Oh, uh," Emma said, as she stopped and turned back around to face her teacher, "it's different. I've started so many new schools in my life, but I've never lived in a small town before. Everyone looks at me like I'm some sort of freak or something."

"Nobody ever comes to Storybrooke," Regina explained, "No one comes and no one leaves, so they are fascinated by you."

"No one comes and no one leaves? That sounds like the premise of a horror story," Emma laughed.

Regina smirked. "By the way, I'm glad you actually seem to know Shakespeare. I teach it every year, and I swear it never sticks. If you would learn to put your hand up before yelling out in class, we might have a good semester."

Emma shrugged. "I did Hamlet last year. That's the downside of switching schools so often, I do some things over and over and miss out on others."

"That's unfortunate, because you seem like a bright girl. You could probably use the challenge. Do let me know if you find yourself bored during this unit, and perhaps we can work something else out," Regina offered. She hoped that she wasn't making too many assumptions that this girl would actually _want_ to learn something more than what was on the syllabus.

"Yeah, okay, thanks," Emma smiled. "Um, and, Ms. Mills? I'm going to apply for that internship. If I bring it to class tomorrow could you maybe look it over for me? I know you didn't want to give class time but…."

Regina nodded. "I can do that. I should warn you though, the mayor is a very difficult woman."

"I'm a foster kid," Emma shrugged again, "I have lots of experience with difficult people."

"I'm sure you do. I don't know David and Mary Margaret well, but they seem like decent people."

"Yeah, I've only been there a few days, but they seem alright. Maybe I'll get to stay here for my entire senior year," Emma laughed, "that would be a first."

"I hope you do," Regina smiled. "Now, you should head off to your next class, the bell will ring soon."

"Yeah," Emma said, pulling her folded up class schedule from her pocket. It was hand-written on lined paper. This really was a last minute transfer. "I have art with Mr. Jefferson."

"You'll have fun with him. He's a tad bit eccentric, but he's a good teacher. If you go all the way to the end of this hallway, and turn right, the art room is the second door."

"Thanks, Ms. Mills," Emma said, as she headed out the door.

"You're welcome. See you tomorrow, Emma."

The rest of the day passed by rather uneventfully, save for the clock that went off every hour. By the time two o'clock came, Regina would have figured the students would be used to it, but she was wrong.

At three o'clock, just as Regina was about to leave for the day, Jefferson appeared in her doorway.

"Hey, what are you up to tonight?" he asked. "Because if you don't have plans, you're welcome to come to dinner at my place. Paige misses you."

Regina smiled. She was well-aware that Jefferson had something of a crush on her, and as much as she liked his lively young daughter, she didn't like to do anything to give him the impression that she was interested in him romantically. "Thank you for the offer, but I must politely decline. Tell Paige I would be honoured to plan a girls day with her, if she would like."

Jefferson smiled and shook his head. "Yeah, she'd love that. And hey, in case I don't say it enough, thanks for the interest you take in her."

"Well, I know what it's like to grow up without a mother," Regina sighed.

"Yeah. Speaking of, that Emma Swan is quite a spitfire, isn't she?"

Regina quirked an eyebrow. "How do you mean?"

"Well, I caught her on her phone during class, twice, and when I tried to confiscate it, she tried to storm out. I ended up having to send her down to the office."

"Wow, that's… I didn't have an issue with her, other than her speaking out in class. She seems like a sweet girl. Maybe you just bring out the worst in her," Regina teased.

"Yeah, we'll see," Jefferson shrugged. "Have a good night, Regina. I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

Regina stopped at Granny's for a coffee on her way home, as she usually did, and she saw Mary Margaret there, as she usually did. This time, the younger teacher had two boys with her, one who looked about ten and the other looked about five. Regina guessed they must be her other two foster kids.

"Good afternoon, Mary Margaret," Regina said, walking up to the booth but not moving to join them. Regina didn't tend to socialize with anyone outside of work.

"Oh, Regina, hi," Mary Margaret smiled. "Boys, this is Regina Mills, she teaches at the high school. Regina, this is Henry and Neal."

"Nice to meet you both," Regina said, shaking each boy's hand.

"And I believe you met Emma," Mary Margaret continued.

"Yes, she's in my second period English class. Very bright girl," Regina acknowledged.

"Yes, she is. I hope she didn't give you any trouble, though. I've already had the principal call about her, and it's only the first day!"

"First day at a new school is never easy," Regina replied. "She'll adjust. Did the mayor come by to see you today?"

"Yes, actually," Mary Margaret said, shaking her head and smiling, "so strange. She wanted to welcome Henry to Storybrooke, personally. I suppose, we don't get new-comers often. She went to Neal's class as well. I guess it was nice of her."

Nice wasn't exactly the word Regina would have chosen, but she decided to keep her little conspiracy theory to herself, at the moment. She had a feeling Mary Margaret wouldn't see anything remotely malicious in the mayor any way. From what Regina could tell, the woman could only see the best in everyone. She figured that was a blessing and a curse.

"Well, I'll let you all get back to your cocoa. I was nice seeing you, Mary Margaret," Regina said, before turning to leave the diner.

* * *

Regina spent her evening in the same way she always did: curled up under a blanket on her couch with a good book and a glass of red wine.

Her apartment was small, but it was cozy enough, and she didn't mind, since she lived alone. In the distance, she heard the clock chime at eleven, and she sighed and closed the book. Between the clock and the mayor and Emma Swan, it had been a long, long day. Storybrooke wasn't used to so many changes, especially all on the same day.

She placed the book on the end table and folded up the blanket, laying it on the back of the couch, before depositing her glass in the sink and heading down the hallway to her bedroom. She ran her fingers lightly over the picture of Daniel, her fiancé whom she'd lost in a fatal car accident years ago. It seemed like an eternity had passed since then, and yet, it still burned like it happened yesterday, every time she looked at that photo.

And she had to laugh bitterly at how cruel fate had been to her. Her mother had named her Regina, and yet she had never once felt like a queen.

But she tried to remind herself that tomorrow was another day, as she crawled under the blankets and let her head hit the pillow. Today had been full of changes, and if she was lucky, maybe tomorrow would be more of the same.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Regina sat at her desk and watched as her second period senior English students filed into the room. The morning had been uneventful so far, and she was just eager to get through another day. Emma was one of the last students to arrive, and she walked up to Regina's desk holding papers in her hands.

Regina looked up at her, and immediately took note of her appearance. The girl had dark bags under her eyes and looked like she hadn't slept all night. But she was smiling as she handed the papers to Regina.

"This is my application, for the internship," she said, taking note of the confused look on Regina's face.

"Right," Regina nodded, taking the papers from her. She had completely forgotten Emma had asked her to look it over. "Did you stay up all night working on it? You look exhausted."

Emma let out a small laugh. "Something like that."

"Take your seat, and I'll look this over during class," Regina smiled.

"Thanks," Emma said, turning and heading toward her seat.

Once she had given her lesson for the day and the class divided into small groups working on their first Hamlet assignment of the unit, Regina sat back down at her desk to review Emma's application. Her cover letter was fairly standard, and impersonal, listing off her prior experience and her perceived skills and qualifications. Regina was fairly impressed by her grammar, finding no mistakes.

The second page stuck out to her. It was Emma's résumé, where she listed off all her prior jobs. There were a lot, and she didn't stay at any for more than a couple months. Regina scanned them over quickly, and the reason popped out straight away: they were all in different cities. It occurred to her that Emma had to leave job after job because she got moved to a new foster home or group home. The sheer volume of moves in the past couple years that Emma had actually been legally able to work, was astounding.

It occurred to Regina that she was lucky, in her own way, that the couple who found her had kept her, though her adoptive mother had died, and her adoptive father had been a drunk and kicked her out when she was a teen, after telling her that he was never the one who wanted her. It could have been worse, she realized, because at least she got to stay in one place, even if that place was Storybrooke.

She looked up from the paper and scanned the room, as the class was growing noisier than necessary. Though they weren't the source of the disturbance, Regina's eyes quickly fell onto Emma's group. Ruby and Ashley were hard at work while Killian was flipping a pencil in the air and catching it behind his back, repeatedly.

 _Figures he'd find his way into the group with the smartest students._

Emma, however, had her head down in her desk, cradled in her arms with her eyes closed, as if she were sleeping. Regina knew she had looked tired when she came in, and she had already learned Hamlet, but sleeping in class still seemed a little over the top. She thought about what Jefferson had said about Emma's behaviour in art class the day before, and wondered if perhaps this girl wouldn't be the stellar student she was expecting her to be.

"Miss Swan!" Regina said, sharply, causing Emma to jump and look up at her. "Is this assignment boring you?"

"What? No… I, uh… no… sorry, Ms. Mills," Emma stammered, as she straightened out her assignment on her desk and grabbed her pen.

Regina glanced at the clock on the wall. Class was almost over. She stood up to address them. "Whatever you didn't get finished in class today, will be your homework for tonight. I will be collecting them in the morning."

The students all groaned as they packed up their books and started shoving things in backpacks as the bell rang. Regina leaned back against her desk, perching just at the edge and stretching her legs out a little as Emma approached, looking thoroughly embarrassed, to collect her job application.

Regina reached for it as Emma reached the desk, and handed it to her. "It looks good, Emma," she said.

Emma shrugged and took it from her. "I'm not sure if there's really a point in applying anymore."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, after yesterday, getting sent to the principal's office and everything. Mary Margaret told me that the principal is Mayor Greene's mother, so, I mean, I kind of screwed myself over there I'm sure."

"The joys of living in a small town," Regina mused, "everyone is related. But I wouldn't worry about it too much, Emma. I'm willing to bet you're the only one who's going to apply, anyway. All the students who want jobs already have them, and the rest have no interest in getting one."

Emma smiled. "I hope you're right, because I really need this job."

That seemed strange to Regina. What kind of teenager _needs_ a job? She supposed every situation was different, but most of her students who did have jobs just blew their money on clothes and electronics anyway. Something about Emma, though, told Regina she was different.

"Emma," Regina sighed, "I hope I'm not overstepping by asking this, and feel free not to answer if I am, but doesn't the government provide money for you, because you're in the foster system?"

Emma shifted from one foot to the other a few times, and Regina guessed she wasn't going to answer, but she did. "Yeah, they do, but it will stop when I age out. I turn eighteen next month and David and Mary Margaret will stop getting any money for me. I mean, they knew that when they took me in, and they already said I can stay, but I feel bad. I mean, Mary Margaret's a teacher and David is out of work right now and they told me their fine but… I feel bad."

"You shouldn't feel bad that your foster parents want to take care of you and provide for you," Regina pointed out.

"Yeah, maybe, but I'd still like to help out, you know?"

"I think that's very respectable of you, Emma," Regina smiled. "And I wouldn't worry too, much. Even if Principal Hart told her daughter you got in trouble yesterday, Mayor Greene does what she wants. She doesn't answer to anyone, least of all her mother."

"Really? If I had a mother, I'd probably do everything she said," Emma admitted.

"Me too," Regina replied, before she realized what she was saying. She tried to cover for it quickly, changing the subject. "You better head out, before you miss your entire lunch period. And try to stay off your phone during art class, hmm?"

Emma blushed. "It was an emergency."

"Both times?"

"Yes, actually."

Emma's face took on a kind of seriousness that worried Regina slightly. She had meant to tease her, figuring she was just like any other teenager trying to get away with using her phone in class, but Emma's face told a different story. "Is everything alright?" Regina asked.

"Yeah, fine. There was a situation yesterday, and it's under control now," Emma shrugged. "Thanks for looking this over for me. I appreciate it. See you tomorrow, Ms. Mills."

"Yes, please try to stay awake tomorrow," Regina called after her, smirking.

She still wasn't quite sure what to make of this girl, but she had a suspicion she was unlike any of the teens she had taught in the past.

* * *

As it turned out, Regina had been correct in assuming that Emma would be the only applicant for the internship at the Mayor's office, and she tried to feign enthusiasm when Emma excitedly told her she'd gotten the job the very next day before class. She didn't know why she had such apprehension of her student of three days getting a job at the Mayor's office, but something about it just didn't sit well with her.

"Alright class," Regina said, once the bell had rung and everyone was in their seats. "I would like you all to pass forward your homework from last night. Make sure your names are on them or you will receive a zero. Split into the same groups as yesterday and start reading the next scene, while I mark your homework."

"Shit!" It was Emma's voice, a loud and exasperated whisper. Everyone turned to look at her.

"Miss Swan, do you have something you'd like to share with the class?"

"No, I, uh, I just forgot about the homework. I didn't do it," Emma admitted.

"Then you'll get a zero," Regina shrugged. "And please do not swear in my classroom again." She wanted to follow that up with _or I will send you to the principal's office_ , but she always saved that course of action for an absolute last resort. No student deserved the wrath of Cora, and Emma certainly didn't need to be sent there twice in one week.

Regina sat to mark the homework as the class split into their groups again. Most of it was absolutely atrocious, and, as always she had to wonder if it was the students' lack of effort, or her teaching skills that led to such lackluster work. It had never been her intention to get into teaching – much less teaching English – and she had to wonder how much that affected her students.

Then again, she would come across Ruby or Ashley's work, which was always well done, and decide maybe the rest of the students just weren't all that bright.

That had to be it.

When class ended, and all the rest of the students had rushed out of the door, Regina was surprised when Emma showed up at her desk again.

"Yes, Emma?" she asked.

"Ms. Mills, I'm really sorry about my homework, please don't give me a zero. Can I please hand it in late? Mayor Greene wanted to interview me on the spot last night, and then when I got the job, she wanted me to start training right away. I got back late and… well, I just forgot."

Regina studied Emma's face, and wondered what she was skipping over between getting back late and just forgetting. Normally, she didn't like to give students second chances to complete missed work, but Emma just seemed so desperate.

"Fine," she said, "have it to me by the end of the day and I will mark it. But do not make a habit of this, Emma."

"I won't!" Emma vowed, a wide smile spreading across her face, "I promise."

And, as promised, Emma dropped her completed homework off in the break between third and fourth period. During her fourth period class, Regina looked over Emma's homework, and she ended up being the only one who got every question right. It would figure that her brightest student would be the one to be forgetting her homework and swearing in class. That was just Regina's luck.

* * *

The following day, Emma showed up to class looking exhausted again, and Regina was starting to find it troubling. When she had the class divide into their groups again, she could already tell things were going to go awry.

She watched as Emma got increasingly more and more irritated with Killian's antics and he continued to antagonize the girls in his group.

"Killian!" Regina snapped from her desk when she saw him trying to lace a pencil through Ashley's hair, "get back to work or you will find yourself in a group of one."

Emma smirked as Killian let out an exaggerated sigh and turned his eyes back to his text.

Barely two minutes had passed before he was at it again, purposely knocking Emma's pencil off her desk, repeatedly. Regina was about to speak up again, when Emma took matters into her own hands, picking up Killian's copy of Hamlet, and throwing it across the room.

"Get the hell out of our group!" she spat at him.

"Emma!" Regina gasped.

"What!" Emma cried, turning around to face her teacher, and apparently forgetting that she was, indeed, speaking to a teacher. "It's not my fault if he won't do his work! Why should we have to suffer?'

Everyone in the classroom stared in silence.

Regina hated that she had a point, but in her position, she couldn't really let her get away with this behaviour. "Pack up your things, Emma," Regina said, standing. "You will finish your work in the hallway. Mr. Jones, collect your text and take a seat in the back corner. I do not want to hear from you again for the rest of class, is that understood?"

Regina watched as Emma and Killian silently did what they were told. Killian looked completely unfazed, but Emma looked like she was about to cry. Regina waited a few minutes, until the class had settled down again, and stepped out into the hallway to check on Emma.

The girl was sitting in front of a locker, her knees drawn up to her chest and her head buried in her arms. For a moment, Regina worried that she might actually be crying, but a few moments of observation revealed that she was, in fact, just sulking.

"Miss Swan? A word?" Regina asked, as she took a step closer. Emma looked up at her a little defiantly, before standing.

"That wasn't my fault," Emma said, before Regina even had the chance to start. "He started it."

"That may be true, but you made the choice to throw a book and yell out in class, again, and actions have consequences."

Emma breathed a heavy sigh. "So, what, are you gonna send me to the principal's office?"

Regina hesitated for a moment. She knew she _should_ send her to the principal for that outburst, but something in Emma's eyes told her it was driven by something a lot deeper than just being a teenager acting out in class. Something she was sure Cora would miss entirely when she gave Emma her second strike in one week. She really didn't want to see her get suspended.

"No," Regina said, "I'm not going to send you to the principal. You will however, come to detention in my classroom after school for the rest of the week."

"It's Thursday," Emma smirked, "the week's almost over."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to play this game with me, Emma? Because I guarantee I will win."

"Sorry, Ms. Mills," Emma said, looking down.

"Good. Now if you think you can behave for the rest of class, feel free to come back in and rejoin your group."

* * *

Regina couldn't remember a time where she'd actually hosted detention in her classroom after school. Most of her students – save for Killian Jones – knew better than to test her, and never pushed past the first warning. She wasn't even sure what students were mean to _do_ during detention. Write lines? Clean erasers? She wondered if perhaps she should have just left Emma in the hallway for the rest of class and left it at that.

But it was too late.

Ten minutes after the final bell, Emma returned to her classroom.

"You're late, Miss Swan," Regina said.

"Sorry. I had to call Mary Margaret and let her know where I was," Emma shrugged.

Regina nodded. It seemed like a fair excuse. Now what?

She watched as Emma returned to her regular seat, and looked at her expectantly, clearly waiting for instruction as to what she should be doing. Against her better judgment, Regina decided to take a risk and try to get Emma to talk to her.

"Emma," she said, leaning back against another desk, "this is the second time in four days that you have come to my class looking like you haven't slept all night. Is something going on?"

Emma shook her head. "No. Yesterday was my first real day at the Mayor's office, and she kept me there really late. Then I had a ton of homework and I guess I just didn't get enough sleep last night. Sometimes I get bitchy when I don't sleep enough. I mean… I get _irritable,_ " Emma corrected.

"You've had that job two days, and it's already affecting your school work. This is your senior year, Emma, and it's important."

"Yeah, I know, but… so is my job," Emma said, defensively.

"Right," Regina sighed. "How is it going, by the way? Are you enjoying it?"

Emma smirked a little. "It's not hard to guess why they call her the Wicked Witch of the West," Emma said, tentatively, apparently testing the waters with how much back-biting her teacher might be comfortable with.

"Why, what happened?" Regina asked, not bothering to hide the concern in her voice.

"Oh, nothing really. I just listen to the way she talked to her staff and it's just fairly obvious how she got the nickname. She's mean. And I mean, she has this paperweight that is a monkey with wings that is just _bizarre_ ," Emma laughed.

Regina knew it was inappropriate to engage a student that way, but Emma didn't seem like a regular student to her. She was smart and mature and _different_. And she seemed to dislike the mayor, which was a bonus as far as Regina was concerned. "Yes, well, I'm sure the atrocious amount of green she wears doesn't help her case either."

Emma scrunched up her nose. "Yeah, all that's missing is the ruby slippers. She has a bowl of green apples on her desk and she kept offering them to me all night. I didn't take any, I was worried they might be poisoned."

Regina laughed. "She's the Wicked Witch, not the Evil Queen," she reminded her, jokingly. "Did you know Zelena _means_ green? Her name is quite literally 'Green Green'."

"Her parents must have _hated_ her!" Emma laughed, as Regina took a seat at the desk next to her.

"Yes well, her mother? Principal Hart? Her first name is Cora, which also means heart. Not the most creative family, apparently," Regina said.

"Emma means whole, which is kind of ironic, since I'm pretty much the most broken person ever," Emma said, a little quieter than before.

"That's not…" Regina stopped herself before she finished with _what ironic means._ "I highly doubt you are the most broken person ever," she said, instead.

Emma smirked. "Yeah, well, that's just because you don't really know me."

"Regina means queen."

"What?" Emma asked, confused.

"My name, it's Regina. It means queen," Regina explained.

"Queen of the English department," Emma laughed, "and we are all your loyal subjects."

"I don't know that loyal is the word I'd choose," Regina sighed.

Emma laughed. "You don't do this detention-thing much, do you?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, I've been in my fair share of detentions, and they don't normally turn into an after school gossip session with the teacher. I mean, not that I'm complaining."

Regina smiled. "Go home," she said, shaking her head. "Take a nap, or something. I would love it if the girl who gets perfect on the homework assignment would come to class, rather than the one who throws books and causes a scene."

"Same girl," Emma sighed. "But I'll try."

Regina watched as Emma left the room. She already knew that entire exchange was inappropriate. A teacher should not be gossiping with a student like that, especially one in detention. But something about Emma was different than any other student at this school, and somehow, in the few days since she had met her, Regina was feeling less and less like a teacher.

And it confused her to no end.

* * *

 **So, I'm not entirely sure what to call this story. The current title is more or less a placeholder, until I come up with something different. Emma and Regina's roles as Savior and Queen will definitely be important in this, much more than their roles as student and teacher will be. Anyway, feel free to offer me name suggestions if you wish, because I am really stuck on this one, especially since the student/teacher theme will not carry through the whole story. (It's gonna be a complex one, with two stories running simultaneously… first and foremost will be Emma and Regina's relationship, and the secondary plot line will be the mystery surrounding Zelena and the curse)**


	4. Chapter 4

**So, as you can see, I renamed the story to one that I think will capture the essence of the story better.**

 **Heads up, Robin Hood will appear in this story, but for the purposes of the story, he is not and has never been Regina's boyfriend. She didn't know him before the curse and therefore she won't know him after either. His only connection is to Zelena, since they met in Oz before the curse.**

 **Also, yes, Emma has the Bug and yes, she obtained it the same way (ie stealing it and finding Nealfire in the back) but she didn't date him in this time line. Their association to each other will be explained later on.**

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

 _Regina Mills is sixteen again, walking through and unfamiliar and yet somehow familiar estate. She doesn't remember being here before, and yet something inside her tells her she knows this place._

 _The first person she encounters in a man she's never seen before, but deep inside she knows who he is._

 _"Daddy!"_

 _He smiles and wraps his arms around his beaming daughter. "Are you ready to go riding? We hired a new stable boy today, and I'd like you to meet him. His name is Daniel."_

 _Daniel. No, it can't be._

 _But it is. Regina doesn't remember how she got to the stables but suddenly she's there, and there's Daniel, extending his hand in greeting, looking young and happy and alive._

 _And Regina feels her heart breaking in two all over again._

 _"Regina, where are your manners! Don't just stand there gawking!"_

 _That voice. Regina spins around. It's Cora. What's Cora doing here? "Sorry Mother!"_

 _Mother?_

Regina's eyes snapped open, and she sat up, shaking and crying. She wiped the tears from her cheeks quickly. She couldn't remember the last time she had dreamed about Daniel, but that wasn't the most disturbing part. Who was that man and why on earth would she dream that Cora was her mother? That was more of a nightmare.

She pushed the covers back and forced herself to stand, trying to shake the dream from her mind. It was so strange, in that it felt different from any dream she'd ever experienced before. More real, more lucid… almost like a memory.

But that wasn't how she and Daniel had met. She couldn't really remember the first time she met him, but it certainly wasn't a horse stable - he'd never even been on a horse - but it was all hazy. Their whole relationship was one giant blur, and she chalked it up to the grieving process she'd gone through. She was sure her brain was trying to protect her from pain, and that's why the memories were so fuzzy, so hard to grab on to.

She stripped off her clothes as she stepped into the bathroom. She let cool water from the showerhead shock her back into reality, before turning up the heat. The dream receded into the back of her mind, where it belonged, as she began mentally preparing herself for the day.

It was Friday, at least. One more day to get through until the weekend. Saturday, she had her girls' day planned with Paige, which at least gave her something to look forward to; something to break up the monotony. Though, if she was being completely honest, this week hadn't felt quite so monotonous, not since Emma Swan had arrived in her class.

Regina had the feeling something was a little off from the moment she walked into the school that morning. Her feeling was confirmed when she approached her classroom, finding the door open. The night janitor always shut and locked all the doors. Something was up.

And it didn't take her long to figure out what.

"Good morning, Regina."

Regina forced a smile when she was greeted by Cora, who seemed to be awaiting her arrival. Of course the principal would have the keys to every classroom, but that didn't explain why she was in _Regina's_ classroom now.

And it certainly didn't explain why Regina shuddered at hearing her name spoken by Cora, but she just brushed that off as remnants of her strange dream. She figured _anyone_ would shudder at the idea of Cora as their mother.

"Good morning, Cora," Regina greeted, as she stepped over to her desk, and dropped her purse into the bottom drawer. "How can I help you this morning?"

"I heard there was something of an altercation in your classroom yesterday," Cora said, stepping closer to Regina.

"Altercation seems like a strong word," Regina shrugged. She wasn't sure how Cora even _knew_ , but she was well aware that not much occurred in that school without her knowing, and the new girl throwing a book and talking back to a teacher was probably hot gossip in the small school.

"Well, from what I hear, our young Miss Swan not only showed a blatant disregard for school property, she also yelled at a peer and displayed insubordination towards her teacher," Cora said, raising an accusatory eyebrow at Regina, "and yet, you deemed it appropriate to let her remain in class."

"Well, to be quite honest, she didn't start it, and I did give her detention," Regina said, crossing her arms defensively.

"Oh, well, then I suppose you think you have the situation under control then," Cora responded, condescendingly.

"There isn't a situation. There was an incident, and I stepped in and defused it before it could escalate," Regina explained. "I can handle my students."

"Can you?" Cora asked, shaking her head as the first of Regina's first period students started to trickle in, regarding the two women with confusion. "See to it that you do," she continued, her voice lower. "My daughter tells me Emma doesn't make so much as a peep while she's working at her office, so it makes me wonder if the problem isn't the student, but the teacher."

"There isn't a problem," Regina reiterated, before thankfully being interrupted by a student who didn't understand the homework from the night before. Regina watched as Cora shook her head again, disapprovingly, and turned to head back out the door.

The incident with Cora brought Regina's dream back to her memory, and she couldn't stop thinking about it all morning. Oddly enough, she found herself less focused on Daniel's presence in the dream, and much more focused on Cora's. She didn't realize how distracted she was all class, until after the bell had rung to end second period, and she looked up to see Emma standing at her desk.

"Are you alright, Ms. Mills?" Emma asked, looking overly concerned.

"Yes, dear, I'm fine. Why?" Regina asked, shaking her head in confusion.

"I don't know, you just seemed kind of… out of it… all class," Emma explained with a shrug.

Regina nodded, realizing that she really hadn't been mentally present in class. She'd handed her students the outline for the first essay of the semester, and had them read in groups for the entire class. She had intended to teach a lesson today, but had been too distracted to focus.

"I'm fine," Regina said, forcing another smile as she patted Emma's hand, where she had rested it on her teacher's desk, "thank you for your concern. Have a good weekend, dear."

"I thought I had detention tonight?" Emma asked.

"Right. I completely forgot. Don't worry about detention tonight. It's not fair to keep you on a Friday, especially when I don't think you were entirely to blame for it anyway," Regina reasoned, giving Emma another pat on the hand. Something about touching the girl was reassuring in a way that Regina couldn't understand; like suddenly Emma was the only thing that was real in the world.

"Thanks Ms. Mills," Emma smiled, "see you Monday."

The rest of the day was more of a blur to Regina, and by the time she had gone through all the motions, and the final bell rang, she was in the throes of a full blown migraine, and it all started to make sense. She flicked off the lights to her classroom and locked her door, dropping her keys in her pocket. She made it all the way out to her car in the staff parking lot before she realized that she only had her school keys with her. Her car keys were still in her purse. Which was still in her classroom. Which was all the way inside and upstairs.

 _Shit._

Regina's head was pounding by the time she made it back up the stairs, to the point where she was barely paying attention to where she was walking. She had her eyes half closed trying to avoid as much of the harsh florescent lighting in the hallway as she could.

"Ms. Mills are you alright?"

Regina blinked a few times before sighing. "Emma, why are you still here?"

"I forgot my phone in my locker," Emma laughed, "I had to run back up. Are you okay? You look like you might pass out."

"Migraine," Regina groaned, bringing her fingers to her temples. "Killer. And I would be halfway home, but I left my keys in my room."

"I don't think you should drive like this," Emma cautioned, as she followed Regina to her classroom.

"I'm fine," Regina insisted.

"You might crash and die," Emma pointed out.

Regina cringed as she unlocked the door to her room again, and stepped inside. "That's rather morbid. No one would miss me anyway," she shrugged.

"I would," Emma said. "I have a car, I can drive you home, if you want."

Regina considered the offer as she grabbed her purse. "I'll be fine, Emma," she said, finally.

"One of my foster mothers told me she was okay to drive with a migraine once, too," Emma said, as she followed Regina back out of her room. "And she crashed. And she died."

Regina stopped and turned around to look at Emma. "Really?"

"No," Emma shrugged, "I made that up. But I'm sure it's happened to someone, somewhere. So you should let me drive you."

Regina let out a long sigh, blinking back the tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "My fiancé died in a car accident," she said, softly.

"Oh," Emma said, the regret for what she had just said quite evident in her voice. "I'm sorry."

Regina nodded. The pain was getting strong enough that her vision was getting a little blurry. "Maybe you should drive me home."

Emma didn't say a word as Regina followed her out to the student lot, where Emma led her up to a hideous yellow Bug.

"Ugh," Regina groaned, "this colour is making my head want to _explode!"_

Emma just laughed as she unlocked the door. If Regina had have been in a better state of mind, she might have noticed Emma grab a pacifier off the passenger's seat and toss it into the back of the car before she sat down, but instead, she was blissfully unaware.

Regina gave Emma directions to her apartment, which was actually not far from the Nolan's loft, and Emma drove in silence, trying to avoid as many bumps in the road as she could, as Regina laid her head back on the seat and closed her eyes.

"We're here," Emma said as she pulled up in front of Regina's building. Regina opened her eyes and blinked a few times, trying to refocus before she attempted to get out of the car.

"Thanks, Emma. I appreciate this," she said, with a small smile.

"No problem," Emma smiled back. "And you should go put your hands and feet in warm water and put frozen peas on your neck. It works."

Regina smirked and shook her head – a move that she immediately regretted. "Painkillers work better," she said, as she opened the door to step out of the car. "Thanks again, Emma. See you Monday."

"See you," Emma waved, as she drove away. Regina sighed and headed inside her building. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a headache _this_ bad. She popped some aspirin the moment she stepped into her apartment, and set about closing all the drapes so she could lie down in her bed in complete blackness. Soon the searing pain was overthrown by the sweet relief of sleep.

 _"That was excellent, Regina," Daniel says, as she dismounts the horse._

 _"It was all Rocinante," Regina grins, as she strokes the horse's mane._

 _"Don't sell yourself short," Daniel advises, "not just anyone could ride like that, regardless of good the horse is."_

 _Regina blushes at the compliment. She always blushes around Daniel, and it's almost embarrassing. It would be completely embarrassing if he didn't smile at her like that every time she did it._

 _Her mother would never allow this kind of flirtation, and Regina's grateful that she's not around today. She'd always been grateful for any stolen moments with her father throughout the years, and now she was grateful for these stolen moments with Daniel._

 _But it's not long before the moment is over, and without warning, Regina's back at the estate, under the disapproving eyes of her mother._

 _"Must you dress like a common peasant when you go riding?" Cora asks, shaking her head._

 _"The only person who sees me is Daniel," Regina shrugs._

 _"The stable boy?"_

 _"Daniel," Regina says, more firmly, "his name is Daniel."_

 _"Go and change," Cora says, with a dismissive wave of her hand. "We will be entertaining guests this evening. Nobility. I expect you to dress and act like the princess you are, is that understood?"_

 _"Yes, mother," Regina nods._

 _"Don't sulk, Regina," Cora scoffs. "I gave you that name for a reason, and I expect you to live up to it."_

Regina woke up with a start. The room was still dark so she wasn't quite sure how long she'd been sleeping, but her migraine was gone, now replaced with an uneasy feeling and a cold sweat.

"What the hell?" she whispered to herself. Dreaming about Cora once was strange enough, but twice? In the same day?

She grabbed her watched from the nightstand. It was just past five. She frowned. She had only slept two hours and yet her headache was completely gone. She knew she should be happy about that, but she had never gotten over a migraine this quickly. She started to wonder if it wasn't a migraine at all.

But if it wasn't a migraine, what the hell was it?

* * *

 **In the next chapter: Regina's day out with Paige, and encountering the colourful citizens of Storybrooke along the way ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: In case it's not obvious: Melanie is Mulan.**

* * *

 **Chapter Five**

Regina was relieved that she didn't dream again that night. In the morning, she awoke feeling refreshed, any trace of her migraine long gone. She was glad for that, since she had a girls' day planned with Paige and she didn't want to cancel. As much as she tried not to encourage Jefferson's quite obvious crush, she had a soft spot for the girl, which she assumed was spurned by her inability to have her own children. Though she had made peace with that truth, she still always wondered what it would be like to have a daughter, and knowing Paige lacked in a mother figure, made Regina want to reach out to the child even more.

Jefferson brought her by just after nine, and they started their day the way any girls' day should start: with a mani-pedi.

"I want pink!" Paige giggled, pointing at the most florescent neon pink nail polish Regina had ever seen.

"Why am I not surprised?" Regina laughed, picking out a deep red for herself.

"Why am _I_ not surprised?" a voice came from behind Regina, as a young woman with a big grin took the bottle from Regina's hand, smirking a little as she held up the colour Regina _always_ chose for herself. Her nametag read 'Aurora' but Regina and Paige new better than to call her by her full name.

"Hi Rory!" Paige cried, giving her a quick hug before handing the pink nail polish to her. "Gina and I are having a girls' day."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Did your father tell you to call me that?"

Paige just nodded as the followed Rory back to the pedicure chairs. Rory got to work on Regina's feet right away, as one of her girls got started on Paige.

"Busy week?" Regina asked, making small talk.

"Crazy," Rory nodded. "I had the great honour of our wonderful Mayor the other night. Apparently she has much more free time now that she's taken on a student intern."

Regina let out an exasperated sigh. "One of my students, actually," she said. "And, if you ask me, she's working her way too hard. The poor girl's in school full time and then working till God knows when every night. She falls asleep in class. What on earth can be so important at the Mayor's office that she needs to keep her so late? I mean, this is Storybooke. Nothing happens here."

"Are you talking about Henry's sister?" Paige piped up. Regina had momentarily forgot the girl was there, and listening.

"Yes, dear," Regina nodded.

"Henry's in my class," Paige continued, "he said his foster sister is stressed out because she had to grow up too fast."

"How so?" Regina asked.

Paige shrugged. "Dunno. He just said she had a hard life before the Nolan's took her in."

Regina sighed. She knew she shouldn't be digging for information from a ten-year-old, so she changed the subject. "How's Mel?" she asked Rory.

"Great! She just got a job as a deputy for Sheriff Walsh," Rory beamed. Melanie was her girlfriend, who had been in the army, and she was finally home for good, and looking to settle down. "We're finally talking kids," Rory continued.

"Oh? Rory, that's wonderful," Regina smiled. And she meant it. Despite her own heartbreak when she learned she couldn't have children of her own, it still warmed her heart when someone else was able to.

"Yeah, and okay, this might sound weird but…," Rory glanced at Paige to make sure she was engrossed in her own conversation with the other aesthetician before talking about things beyond her maturity level. "I was talking to Dr. Whale about our options. You know, sperm donors and what-not, and he told me about this experimental study they've been doing in Minnesota, where they use bone marrow – from a woman – to create artificial sperm, so potentially, two women could have a child that is genetically both of theirs."

"Really? That's… amazing," Regina marveled. "So it's a study? Have they had any success?"

Rory shook her head. "No, not yet. But I mean, how awesome would that be? A little Melanie-Rory hybrid running around Storybrooke!"

"Well, I wish you both the best of luck," Regina smiled. "I'm glad things are going well for you."

"Thanks Regina. So, what about you? How's life at Storybrooke High?"

Regina shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Same as always, for the most part. My new student, Emma, challenges me quite a bit. And Principal Hart…. Rory, I've got to tell you the oddest thing. I have dreamt, twice now, that she was my mother."

Rory laughed out loud. "No offense, but that sounds more like a nightmare."

Regina sighed. "Tell me about it."

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

After mani's and pedi's, lunch at Granny's was next on the agenda. Regina wasn't surprised to see Ruby there, working, as she often did on weekends, but she was more than surprised to find Emma behind the counter, starting a pot of coffee. With Paige in tow, Regina walked up to the counter.

"Please tell me you didn't take on _another_ job, dear," Regina said, the concern quite obvious in her voice.

Emma laughed and shook her head. "No, I'm just helping Ruby out. It was really nuts here earlier and she was here by herself. I've worked in a diner before, so I'm just lending a hand."

"Good," Regina said, with a smile. "And thank you again, for yesterday."

"It's no problem, seriously," Emma waved it off. "How'd you get your car back?" she asked, glancing at Regina's car through the front window of the diner.

"Jefferson – _Mr._ Jefferson – drove me to pick it up when he dropped off Paige this morning," Regina said, draping an arm loosely around Paige's shoulder. "Paige, this is Emma, Henry's sister. She's in your father's art class."

Paige grinned, "Hi, Emma."

"Nice to meet you, Paige," Emma smiled back, before looking over Regina's shoulder to a booth near the back, with a perplexed look on her face. "Is he adopted?" she asked.

Regina shook her head in confusion, before turning to see where Emma was looking. Her heart sank when her eyes fell on the Mayor and her little family enjoying brunch together. "Roland?" she asked, turning back to face Emma, "no, he's Robin and Zelena's son. Why do you ask?"

Emma smirked. "Look at him. There is no way he came from White Bread and Mayo over there."

"Emma!" Regina gasped, as Paige giggled. She turned to glance at the Mayor again. Emma had a point, Roland didn't look like his parents. She tried to remember Zelena being pregnant, or Roland being born, but both were a hazy blur, which confused Regina even more. Roland wasn't very old, Regina knew she should have been able to remember the Mayor being pregnant with him.

Regina shook her head, trying to dismiss the whole thing, as she led Paige over to an open booth, as far from the Mayor and her family as possible. Ruby was over within moments to get their orders.

"Ms. Mills, what can I get for you?" Ruby asked, sounding slightly frazzled. The diner looked empty now, but given Ruby's current state, she imagined it was just as busy earlier as Emma had led her to believe.

Regina had no sooner picked up her menu when she heard a distinct voice holler out "Emma!" She didn't have to turn around to know it was Zelena. Regina glanced up at Ruby who rolled her eyes and shook her head as she watched Emma go over to the Mayor's table.

"She's been yelling at her like that all morning," Ruby commented. "She keeps sending things back and she specifically only calls Emma over. I feel bad that I asked her to help me out this morning. It's like Mayor Greene can't let her be out of her sight for two seconds."

Regina sighed and looked over her shoulder to see Emma nodding as Zelena handed her a plate, apparently of food she was sending back. "I told her not to take that job," Regina said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, so did I," Ruby agreed. "But, I mean, I've only known her a week, but she seems tough. I think she can handle herself."

Regina nodded, and she and Paige gave Ruby their orders. She didn't really want to get into her thoughts on the Mayor with Ruby, and especially not in front of Paige. This was supposed to be a fun day, after all.

About ten minutes later, Ruby returned with Regina and Paige's orders, only to be followed almost immediately by Emma.

"Hey, Ruby, I gotta go. Mary Margaret just called, she needs me back home," Emma explained quickly as Ruby set the plates down.

"Oh yeah, for sure. Thanks for helping out today. I appreciate it," Ruby nodded. Emma smiled and waved goodbye to Regina and Paige before darting quickly out of the diner.

"It looks like you two have become friends," Regina commented, before Ruby left again.

"Yeah, Emma's cool. And I feel for her, you know? It can't be easy, being the new girl in a small town like Storybrooke, especially with her whole situation," Ruby sighed.

Regina shot her a confused look. "Her situation?" she asked. "You mean, because she's a foster kid?"

"Waitress!" Regina cringed as she heard Zelena's voice ring out, yet again.

"Sorry, gotta go," Ruby sighed, rolling her eyes before heading over to see what the Mayor wanted _now_.

Paige chattered away all through lunch, but Regina found herself lost in the new bits of information she'd acquired today. First, Paige had mentioned that Emma had to grow up too fast, and now Ruby's comment about Emma's situation, had Regina wondering just what was going on in the girl's life.

Maybe she was reading too much into it. Maybe she was just intrigued by Emma for the same reason everyone else was: because she was the new girl in a town that never saw new people. But she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it than that.

* * *

After a pleasantly uneventful rest of the weekend, Regina was in her class room ready to start a new week. She had thankfully not dreamed of Daniel or Cora again, which had been a welcome relief.

To her own surprise, her uncharacteristically good mood had not yet faltered by the time her senior English students made their way into the classroom. Her good mood dropped off, however, when she caught sight of Emma entering the room, her face puffy and eyes red from crying. Ruby was next to her, rubbing her back and saying something into her ear that Regina couldn't hear.

Regina debated for a moment, and then stepped over to the girls. "Emma, are you alright?"

Emma sniffled and then looked up to meet her teacher's gaze. "Yeah, I'm fine," she whispered with a shrug, before finding her way to her seat. Regina chose not to comment when Emma spent the entirety of that day's lesson with her head down on her desk.

"Emma," Regina called her up to her desk, after the bell had rung and the students her filing their way back out of the classroom.

Ruby stopped and looked at her friend, no doubt debating on whether she should stick around, or give her some privacy. Emma offered her a small smile. "I'll meet you in the caf," she said, and Ruby nodded, before finally leaving the room.

"Everything's fine, I just had a rough morning," Emma explained, before she even made it all the way up to her teacher's desk, which Regina was now standing in front of, leaning slightly on the edge, her eyes filled with concern for her student.

"Emma, I want you to know, if something's going on, you can come to me," Regina said, trying to keep her voice sounding reassuring rather than pressuring. She knew forcing the girl to talk wasn't the best plan at the moment.

Emma smiled thinly, and shook her head. "When isn't something going on?" she asked, with a shrug.

"Emma, I'm being serious."

"So am I."

"You can trust me, Emma. And if you need help, please come talk to me," Regina continued.

"I appreciate that, Ms. Mills, I really do. But you can't help me with this," Emma sighed, but chose to offer no further explanation as she headed out the door.

Regina let out a long exhale and looked up at the ceiling. Reaching out to her students – well, anyone, actually – wasn't exactly her strong point. She tried to tell herself that maybe she was overreacting. Maybe she was still reading too much into this.

But, once again, something told her she wasn't.

* * *

 **In the next chapter: Regina finally learns Emma's secret ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

On Tuesday, Regina again watched as her senior English class trickled in, just before the bell rang. To her immediate surprise, she noticed one missing. Emma's desk was empty. Regina looked over at Ruby, and raised an eyebrow in question, but the girl just shrugged as she took her seat next to Emma's empty desk.

Regina sighed, as she shut the door to her classroom after the bell rang, and began her lesson for the day. She tried to convince herself that Emma was just out sick today, and Mary Margaret had likely called the office to inform them, and no one had let her know, which was par for the course in this school anyway.

And still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was very, very wrong. After seeing Emma cry yesterday, and the little tidbits of information she had picked up on the weekend, she couldn't stop thinking of ten million things that could have happened, and she worried about the real reason Emma wasn't in class today.

She hoped that the Nolans hadn't decided to send her back. She didn't know them well, and she wasn't sure if that was something they would do, but she knew it was something that happened quite often in foster care, especially to older children. She knew David was out of work, and that next month Emma would age out of the system and the Nolans would lose the government subsidy they received for her. Perhaps they had decided they couldn't handle the financial burden?

Regina was startled out of her thoughts when there was a knock at the door, fifteen minutes into class. Everyone turned to look, and all Regina could see was blonde hair, which she knew was Emma's. She was standing a little to the side of the door, and Regina had to wonder why she didn't just walk in.

She headed over to the door, and once she opened it, she gasped in surprise when she was greeted by not one, but two blondes. Emma looked upset, again, and she was holding a little girl, whom couldn't be more than ten months old. The little one stared up at Regina with big, brown eyes.

Emma didn't say a word, but rather handed Regina a note from Principal Hart:

 _Attn: Regina Mills_

 _Emma Swan has permission to attend class with her daughter, provided that the child does not disrupt the lesson or the other students._

The note was hand signed by Cora, and Regina noted that Emma had two more identical papers in her hand, which she could only assume were meant for her afternoon teachers.

Regina stepped out of the way and just nodded. Emma gave her a small smile and stepped into the room, quickly finding her seat despite the gawking stares of the rest of the class. Regina gave her a moment to get her things ready, as she watched her try to maneuver her books with a baby in one arm.

Slowly, things were starting to add up, Regina realized. She could only assume the reason Emma wanted to work so bad had more to do with the child she had to support than worrying about when she aged out of the system. She likely came in exhausted because she had a baby to take care of at home. Regina also guessed this is what was meant by Henry's assertion to Paige that Emma had grown up too fast, and Ruby's comment about the situation Emma was in.

Regina also guessed this must be the reason why Emma seemed more mature to her than the rest of her students. She wondered if this was also the reason Emma seemed to be a year behind in school. Her school records had yet to be transferred over, but given her early birthday, Regina was sure she should have graduated last year.

The little one was quiet and well-behaved for all of five minutes before Regina heard a little fuss. She continued writing on the board as she heard Emma shush her daughter, and then distinctly ask her to be quiet and sit still. She heard Killian make some sort of comment about teen moms that she couldn't quite make out, but as she turned around and caught the glare Emma shot him, she knew it wasn't good.

Emma attempted to bounce her daughter on one knee and hold her with one arm while trying to copy the lesson from the board with the other hand. It wasn't hard to tell she was fighting a losing battle as Regina watched the child spit her pacifier on the floor and start babbling away, and tugging at Emma's hard, trying to get her attention. Ruby leaned over and grabbed the pacifier, trying to hand it back to the child, who just swatted at her hand, and pulled at Emma's hair some more.

Emma looked like she might burst into tears as Regina approached her desk, no doubt expecting to be kicked out as her daughter was quite clearly causing the disturbance Cora had warned about. But, instead, Regina just held out her hands towards the baby.

"May I?" she asked.

It took Emma a moment to process what her teacher was asking. "You wanna hold my kid?"

Regina gave a slight shrug, with her hands still outstretched. "Most babies prefer standing and walking over being forced to sit," she reasoned, "and I need you to be focusing on your work."

Emma a hesitated for a moment, looking at Ruby to see what she thought. Ruby offered a small shrug, and Emma lifted her daughter up. Regina took her and placed her on her hip like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"What's her name?" she asked.

"Mackenzie."

"Well, Mackenzie, you get to help me play teacher today," Regina informed the little one on her hip as she made her way back up to the black board. Emma marveled at the way Mackenzie quieted right down, and seemed perfectly content to rest on Regina's hip as the teacher continued writing on the board.

Regina held on to the child for the remainder of the class, stopping to pick her once discarded pacifier off of Ruby's desk while she handed out the assignments for the day. She sat back on her desk, letting Mackenzie jump on her knees while she held her under her arms, as her students worked.

Emma glanced up about every five seconds to check on her daughter.

"She's fine," Ruby whispered, without actually looking at her friend. "Ms. Mills is surprisingly good with little kids."

"That's not what I'm worried about," Emma whispered back. "I just don't want Kenz to puke on her or something."

Ruby snorted but didn't say anything else, as they continued working on their assignments in silence.

At the end of class, Emma packed up her bags and walked up to Regina's desk to fetch her daughter.

"You know, you could have told me," Regina said, as she handed Mackenzie back to her mother.

Emma shrugged. "Most people judge me for getting pregnant at sixteen," she explained. "I learned it's easier to let people get to know me first, before I drop that bomb. Otherwise, they just look at me like I'm some sort of screw up."

"Your daughter seems happy and healthy, you're finishing school and you have a job," Regina said, "having her young doesn't make you a screw up."

"Thanks," Emma smiled. "I wish everyone saw it that way."

"It doesn't matter how everyone else see s you Emma. It only matters how you see yourself."

Emma nodded, absorbing those words, and Regina realized that she already knew how Emma saw herself: broken.

"They closed her daycare," Emma said, suddenly. "With no warning. I went to drop her off yesterday and they were already closed. I missed first period because I had to take her home, but David watched her for the rest of the day, so I could come to school. I was still freaking out though, that's why I was crying yesterday."

Regina nodded. She had heard some folks grumbling about the sudden closure of the daycare, but she hadn't thought much of it as it didn't affect her, and she'd had no idea it would affect Emma.

"So then, we thought Kenz could just stay with David, you know, until we figured something else out. Then last night, after all these months of unemployment, the Sheriff calls, and they are expanding the police force, and they offered him a job. Figures he would start today," Emma shrugged.

Regina could feel the wheels turning in her own head. The daycare had been funded by the town. The Sheriff's station was closely monitored by the Mayor's office. It occurred to her that neither of those two things could have happened without Zelena's final say. She knew Jefferson would call it a conspiracy theory, but Regina couldn't help that it looked like Zelena was _targeting_ Emma, for some reason.

"What classes do you have this afternoon?" Regina asked.

"Art, and then biology," Emma answered, looking confused as to why her teacher was so interested in the rest of her class schedule.

"Two classes that will be nearly impossible to bring a baby to," Regina noted. "You can bring her back here, and I could watch her for you this afternoon."

"Oh, no," Emma shook her head, "I can't ask you to do that."

"You're not. I'm offering. Emma, your education is important. I can teach two more classes with a baby on my hip," Regina shrugged. "You can do art or biology with her."

"Okay," Emma agreed, "I'll bring her back before third period. And I'll give you my cellphone number, in case anything happens. I know I'm not allowed to have it in class, but I put my daughter before the rules of the school."

"Good," Regina nodded. "You should."

Regina spent the lunch hour in her class room, getting everything prepped for her next two classes. Before she even realized how much time had passed, Emma was back at her door.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Emma asked, shifting from one foot to the other, Mackenzie firmly on her hip.

"Yes, Emma," Regina smiled, holding her arms out to take the girl.

"Ok," Emma sighed, as she dropped her messenger bag on the other side of Regina's desk. "All her stuff is in here: soother, bottles, formula – the water's already in there, you only have to add a scoop of powder – um, she'll usually take it around 1:30. There's diapers and wipes but seriously, if you don't want to change her, call me and I'll come do it."

"Emma," Regina laughed, "it's fine. Stop panicking."

Emma nodded, still unsure. "Okay. Here's my cell number. I turn the volume off but I leave it on vibrate."

"You realize there is a PA system in all the classrooms, correct? I can just call to your teacher and have them send you, if need be. Then you don't get in trouble."

"Oh," Emma nodded. She made no attempt to take back the paper with her cell number written on it, and Regina made to attempt to give it back to her, either. "Um… what else… normally she naps around 2:00, but I clearly I don't have any place to put her, so if she gets cranky just-"

"She'll be fine," Regina insisted. "Go to class before you're late."

"Okay," Emma nodded, and leaned in to give Mackenzie a kiss on the forehead. "You be good for Ms. Mills," she said, before thanking her teacher and heading off to art class.

"Whoa! Ms. Mills, you have a baby?"

Regina sighed as she heard her next class coming in. More and more comments were made about the baby, and she had to just laugh. Last week students had been enthralled by a clock. A baby this week was likely to make their heads spin.

Regina explained the situation to her class, leaving out who the baby belonged to, since it was none of their business, and went on teaching the class as normal – relatively normal, since she was, again, teaching with a baby on her hip.

Against her better judgment, part way through class, once her students were working quietly, she pulled out her phone and sent Emma a text, letting her know that Mackenzie was still doing fine. She knew that phones were absolutely not allowed in school, and she hoped that Emma was serious when she said she had the ringer off. She didn't want to get her in trouble again for using a phone in Jefferson's class.

During the ten minute break between periods, Emma sprinted down the hall to check on her daughter and give her another kiss, and offer Regina _another_ opportunity to renege on her offer –which she refused, again - before sprinting in the other direction to make it to biology class on time.

Having the baby during fourth period proved to be more of a challenge. Barely ten minutes into the lesson, she started to cry, and Regina looked at the clock and realized it was 1:30 – time for the baby to eat. She sat down at her desk and tried to maneuver the bottle of water and the can of formula while Mackenzie screamed in her ear.

"You've gotta make sure that scoop is level."

Regina's eyes shot up to see Jefferson standing in her doorway. He grinned at her class – most of whom grinned right back as Jefferson was a favourite teacher at this school – as he walked over and took the formula scoop and began mixing the bottle.

"I could have done it," Regina insisted, quietly.

"Accept help where it's offered," Jefferson advised, handing the bottle to Mackenzie, who took it and immediately settled against Regina. "Emma told me you were babysitting," he continued, "and I thought I'd stop by and see how it's going, before Cora finds out."

"Don't you have a class?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Eh," Jefferson shrugged, "they're making plaster molds of each other's faces. What could go wrong?"

Regina smirked and shook her head, as she switched Mackenzie into a position where she could still hold her with one arm, and the child could drink her bottle comfortably, before she got to resuming her lesson.

Jefferson stood and watched, smirking, for a few more minutes, before going back to his own room to ensure that none of his ninth graders had accident asphyxiated each other with Plaster of Paris.

By the time Emma returned, just after the last bell, Regina's classroom was empty and Mackenzie was sleeping happily on her shoulder.

"Hey," Emma said, quietly, smiling at the sight of her teacher cuddled up with her daughter. She grabbed a chair and pulled it up close to Regina's.

"Hey," Regina whispered back, noting the serious look that was already washing over Emma's face.

"Thanks for watching her today," Emma said, still smiling but the stress quite clearly showing through on her face. "I won't be bringing her every day. Principal Hart only approved today because it was an emergency."

"What are you going to do?" Regina asked, the sudden realization hitting her that if Emma couldn't find someone to watch Mackenzie, and if she wasn't allowed to keep bringing her to school, she wouldn't be able to keep attending school.

"Honestly," Emma sighed. "I don't know."

 **In the next chapter: Regina has dinner with the Nolans**


	7. Chapter 7

**I would like to give a shout-out to** **InsaneMagician** **for all the amazing suggestions and ideas for this story (including a very major twist which will be coming up, but I'm not giving that one away) and ALSO for making the cover art for this story. It's the first time anyone has ever made cover art for me, and I am so thrilled and honoured for it. I honestly can't thank you enough!**

 **Oh! And before anyone asks, Neal Cassidy is NOT the father of Emma's child.**

 **Also, Kathryn's EF storyline has been tweaked, so that it was her who was pregnant and made a deal with Rumple in return for her first born, and it was Kathryn and Frederick who ended up tricking Rumple and trapping him. (What the deal was isn't important, but just know that's why Kathryn is pregnant in this, and Ashley isn't.)**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

On Wednesday, Emma missed school.

Regina knew it was because she had no one to watch her daughter, and she wasn't allowed to keep bringing her to school, but she took the opportunity to text her anyway, to check up on her. She knew she was crossing the lines of professionalism in a student-teacher relationship, but at this point, she was already more invested in Emma than she was in her job. That realization unsettled her a little, but she had never much cared for her job anyway.

 _Everything okay?_

Regina was sitting at her desk, staring at her phone, waiting for Emma to text back, though she wasn't even aware that she was doing it. It was lunch period, but she didn't feel like eating.

After a few minutes, her phone chimed.

 _Yeah. Fine, thanks. Sorry I missed class._

Before Regina could even type a response, she got another message. It was a picture, Emma with Mackenzie on her lap, holding up _Hamlet,_ and the caption read: _Look, still learning._

Regina had to smile. Despite everything that was happening, Emma's smile in the photo still looked carefree, and her daughter's face was lit up. No doubt the little one just liked having her picture taken, but the image made Regina's heart flutter, and a warmth spread across her chest.

 _Good. Gotta start 'em young,_ she texted back.

 _Wow. Nice grammar. And you're my ENGLISH teacher._

Regina laughed and shook her head. _Have a good day, Emma. Hope to see you in class tomorrow._

Emma didn't reply, and Regina wondered if she should have left off that last part. After all, it wasn't Emma's fault she wasn't in class.

Nearly half way through the lunch period, Regina was startled by a knock at her door. She looked up in time to see Principal Hart entering her class room, and resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Good afternoon, Regina," Cora said, with a smile that didn't even come close to reaching her eyes.

"Cora," Regina said, standing, "what can I do for you?"

"I'd like to speak with you about Emma Swan," Cora said, as she stepped right up to Regina's desk.

Regina stiffened at the mention of Emma's name, wondering what in the world Cora could possibly need to discuss about her. "What about Emma?"

Cora sighed. "Well, as you are now well-aware, she has a child, which is affecting her ability to attend class. As such, the faculty is going to have to make a decision as to whether or not it's prudent to allow her to continue her education here."

Regina narrowed her eyes in disbelief. "You want to kick her out of school?"

"Well, don't think of it like that," Cora scoffed, "we need to think about what's best for the school and the other students. We can't have Miss Swan thinking she can show up to class whenever it's convenient for her, and bring along a toddler on a whim."

"It wasn't on a whim. Your _daughter_ decided to shut down the city-funded daycare. Emma's not the only one in Storybrooke suddenly left without childcare. She's trying to balance motherhood with school and work, and now you want to decide whether or not we should deny her a chance at an education?"

"Asking her to leave Storybrooke High School does not prevent her from pursuing online education or obtaining a GED," Cora pointed out.

"This is ridiculous," Regina said, shaking her head.

"Well, I'm sorry you feel that way, dear, but if Emma continues to miss school the way that she is, I'm going to have no other choice but to expel her. We can't maintain a lax attitude toward this, or the rest of the student body will begin to think they can take advantage of this. The question is, how long we will allow this behaviour to continue?"

"I'm sorry, but are you even listening to yourself? This _behaviour_? It's not like she's playing hooky, she has a valid reason for her absence," Regina retorted.

Cora sighed. "You've grown too attached to this girl, Regina. She's just a student, you don't need to become her personal savior."

Cora left without another word, and Regina couldn't stop replaying that word _savior_ , over in her head. It's not that she had never heard it before, she certainly had, but something about that word stuck out to her, like it reminded her of something she used to know, but had long forgotten.

The word felt important, but she couldn't tell why. And she knew she didn't have time to be thinking about it now anyway. She needed to figure out a way to help Emma.

* * *

On Thursday, Emma woke up at the crack of dawn, as she always did, when Mackenzie starting crying from her crib. Emma shared a room with her daughter, and the boys slept in another room, in the house that was not tiny, but was certainly too small for six people. It never ceased to amaze Emma that these people – David and Mary Margaret – had gone from a childless couple, to agreeing to take in _four_ kids at once, only because they had a good feeling about it when the social worker had called to ask them. _Who does that?,_ Emma wondered, for the millionth time since she had arrived there.

She got up and got Mackenzie from her little crib, and headed into the kitchen to mix up the formula. The room she was currently sleeping in was once an office, and there was still a desk pushed up against one wall, but this was still one of the nicest homes Emma had _ever_ been in, and she wasn't about to complain about a cramped bedroom.

Last night, she had overheard David and Mary Margaret talking about looking for a bigger place now that David was working again, and it gave Emma butterflies in her stomach to think that they were willing to change their whole lives for herself and her foster brothers, and even Mackenzie.

And she was beyond grateful. She was well aware that if the social worker couldn't find a home to take both of them, that she would lose her daughter. For as long as she had parental rights to Mackenzie, the homes wouldn't receive subsidy for the toddler, and a lot of people refused on that merit alone. Not that Emma could blame them. What stranger wanted to take on the burden of someone else's baby? Especially when Emma was about to age out of the system herself?

"Good morning, Emma." Mary Margaret greeted Emma with a warm smile, and she was quickly reminded of exactly what stranger would do that. She realized that even grateful was an understatement, since if the Nolans hadn't have agreed to take her _and_ Mackenzie, Emma would have had no other choice but to run with her daughter, and who knew where she would have ended up then?

"Morning," Emma smiled back.

She and Mary Margaret continued to make small talk, until the boys were up and ready for breakfast. Neal was quick to run over and hug Emma's legs, and she ruffled his hair lightly. They had been in a home together before, and they had bonded almost instantly then. When they ended up together once again, Emma guessed it must be fate.

Fate had a thing for Neals, apparently, as she had come across another Neal in her life: the one she stole her car from. It had been unintentional – she just needed a place to sleep – and yet their paths crossed _again_ when she had run across her old friend Lily, in Boston of all places….

 ** _Boston, 11 months ago_**

 _"Emma Swan, no fucking way."_

 _Emma's head snapped up at that all too familiar voice. "Lily?" she gasped. "What are you doing here?"_

 _Lily smirked. "Well, I'm here to meet with a lady who has some information on my biological parents. I would guess you were doing the same, but judging but that massive belly, I'm thinking you have a different agenda?"_

 _Emma sighed and heavy sigh, and rubbed her hand absently over her protruding belly. "I'm due in about a month. I sleep in the back of my car. What the hell else am I supposed to do?"_

 _"You're not worried your kid will end up with the same life you had?" Lily asked, as she sat down next to Emma._

 _Emma shrugged. "I mean, yeah, but what else can I do? I can't raise her in the back of a car. I'm kind of out of options. And this couple, I don't know their names, but the couple, they are in politics, and they've got a little boy already, so my baby will have a real family. They live in a quiet little town and they have lots of money."_

 _"I think you're making a mistake," Lily said, simply._

 _"Well, holy fuck Lily, it's not like I want to do this. I just have no other choice," Emma insisted._

 _"Who's the dad?" Lily asked._

 _"No one," Emma shrugged._

 _Lily sighed. "You have another option, if you want it."_

 _Emma turned to look at her in confusion. "Oh yeah? And what would that be?"_

 _"My boyfriend, Neal, and I, we have a place. You can crash with us until you get back on your feet."_

 _"Neal?" Emma asked, shaking her head. It couldn't be. Neal was a common name, after all._

 _But sure enough, it was._

 _"Nice car," she heard a familiar voice call out as she and Lily pulled up in front of her building._

 _"You think so? Looks like a piece of shit to me," Emma laughed, as Neal gave her a quick hug, before heading over to give Lily a kiss._

 _After discussing the arrangements further with Lily at the adoption agency's office, Emma had told her case worker that she was sorry, but she changed her mind, she was keeping her child. After Lily had met with the worker she had an appointment with, they had headed back to Lily and Neal's apartment. Emma wondered if she was making a mistake trusting Lily again, but she couldn't not jump at the only opportunity available to keep her daughter._

 _"Holy shit," Neal commented, shaking his head at Emma's belly._

 _Emma just gave him a shrug, and looked back at Lily. "So, since you are being so hospitable to me, I guess I owe you the whole story of how I ended up in this predicament."_

 _"That you do," Lily agreed, as she put her arm around Emma, and led her inside._

"Emma, I called the school for you again." Mary Margaret's voice pulled Emma out of her memory and back to reality.

"Oh, right. Thanks. I'm gonna look some more today for a daycare or something for Kenzie," Emma said, absently. She knew there were no daycares with vacancies that she could afford, and she wasn't about to ask the Nolans to pay for her daughter's daycare. She was already quite sure she was going to have to miss another year of school.

Emma spent the remainder of the day going back and forth between taking care of her daughter, and trying to catch up on the school work from the day before that Ruby had dropped off to her, so she could be prepared for the off chance that some miracle would actually allow her to remain in school.

Before she even knew it, Mary Margaret was home from work, and taking Mackenzie in her arms so that Emma could head off to her job at the Mayor's office.

"Good afternoon, Emma," Zelena greeted her as she rushed into the door. Now that she had to wait for Mary Margaret to come home in order to leave for work, she couldn't get there as early as she could when she went straight from school.

"Hey," Emma said, a little breathlessly. She shifted nervously when she noticed that Zelena wasn't alone in her office. Cora was there. "Hi, Principal Hart."

"Good afternoon, Miss Swan. I see that you are still able to attend work, just not school?"

"Yeah, um, Mary Margaret can watch my kid when she gets home from work. It's only the day time that I have no one to watch her."

"Pity you can't take her to school with you," Zelena commented, in a condescending tone.

"Yes, quite unfortunate. But I don't make the rules," Cora said, with a shrug, before leaving the room. Emma thought that was quite ridiculous, since she was pretty sure that Zelena and her mother made _all_ the rules. Well, Zelena did, anyway.

Emma quickly got to work on her paperwork, as Zelena approached the table. "You know, Emma, there is a daycare in this building."

"Really?" Emma asked, surprised. "Like, one I could send Kenzie to?"

"Well, it's only for staff," Zelena continued.

Emma narrowed her eyes. "I thought I was staff?"

"Oh, you are. What I meant was, it's for staff while they are working," Zelena explained.

Emma's heart sank. "So, that doesn't really help me, then."

"Well, it could," Zelena suggested. "If you were to take a semester off school, you could work here full time, and your daughter could attend daycare."

"You want me to drop out of school?" Emma asked, bewildered.

"No, of course not. I'm just offering you a solution for when the inevitable happens," Zelena said, with a shrug, before heading back to her own desk.

Emma couldn't believe what she had just heard. When the inevitable happens? She was pretty sure that meant Zelena was convinced she would be expelled or drop out. Leaving school was the _last_ thing Emma wanted to do. She felt more desperate now than ever to figure something out, but what was she supposed to do?

* * *

"Hey, Emma," Mary Margaret greeted as Emma came back into the house. "Dinner will be ready shortly. Your teacher is coming over."

"Miss Mills?" Emma asked, surprised.

"Yes. She called and said she had something to discuss with you, and I invited her to dinner. I hope that's not awkward for you."

Emma shrugged. "Nah, it's fine. I like her. So does Kenzie."

"Good," Mary Margaret smiled. "The kids are in the living room."

Emma nodded and headed in that direction, since she knew very well that meant 'check and make sure no one's crying or bleeding yet.' To her surprise, the boys were actually playing together, some board game, and Mackenzie was happily stacking blocks inside her playpen.

"Hey, there, Doodlebug," Emma grinned, as she scooped her daughter up, and sat down on the floor with her.

"Your teacher's coming to dinner," Henry said, without looking up from his game.

Emma shrugged. "You have dinner with your teacher every night," Emma pointed out.

"Not the same," Henry said.

She guessed it really wasn't the same. Mary Margaret was only Henry's teacher because she was the only one who taught his grade. And he was a kid; that kind of stuff doesn't bother kids. But she was a teenager and she wondered if it should bother her.

She didn't have much time to think on that, as she heard the doorbell, and soon after Mary Margaret's voice greeting Regina at the door. Before she knew it, Regina was standing in the doorway of the living room.

"Hi, Miss Mills," Emma said, suddenly feeling shy. She had spoken to her teacher several times before, but now, having her in her home, felt strange. Before she could say anything more, however, Mackenzie wriggled herself free from Emma's arms and crawled over to Regina.

Emma smiled as Regina picked her up and Kenzie laughed. "I think she likes you," Emma commented, standing up again.

"Well, I like you to, Little One," Regina smiled at the baby, before turning to Emma. "I have something I need to talk to you about."

Emma was about to respond when Mary Margaret called out that dinner was ready. "Can we eat first?" Emma asked.

"Sure, absolutely," Regina agreed, as Emma took her daughter back and led the way to the dining room. Emma strapped Mackenzie into her high chair, where her little plastic plate of baby food was already waiting, and then took the chair next to the highchair. Regina sat beside her, and Henry grabbed the chair directly across from Emma.

Dinner was a little awkward as Mary Margaret and Regina discussed school things, and Emma tried to eat and feed her daughter at the same time, while Henry kicked her shins under the table. Every kick earned him a glare from Emma, which were only ever returned by smirks. She wasn't sure what had gotten into the kid today, but he was getting on her last nerve.

"Stop it!" she hissed, under her breath, staring pointedly at Henry.

"Stop what?" Henry asked, feigning innocence.

"Oh, you know what," Emma snapped back.

"Emma, what's going on?" Mary Margaret asked, from the other end of the table.

"Henry's being a brat," Emma replied.

"Henry, stop whatever you're doing. We have a guest," Mary Margaret reminded him.

It was Henry who got called out, but yet it was Emma's cheeks that burned with embarrassment. She couldn't believe she had been bickering with a ten-year-old in front of her teacher.

 _Smooth move, Swan._

After dinner, Emma was quick to usher the boys to help her clear the table and do the dishes while Mary Margaret got Mackenzie out of her highchair. Regina headed over to join Mary Margaret in the sitting room.

"She's definitely very eager to help you out," Regina commented, as she sat down next to the younger teacher on the sofa.

Mary Margaret nodded. "She is, but it's all fueled by her fear that we are going to send her back. It doesn't matter how many times I assure her we never will, her track record in homes has taught her not to trust promises like that. I wish we could have found her years ago, before all the damage was done."

"She's still young," Regina reminded her. "It's not too late."

"She's so afraid of what will happen when she ages out of the system. I think when she turns eighteen and we don't kick her out, she might finally realize we're serious about being her family. We're her last chance to have parents, and I don't take that lightly."

"No, I suppose you wouldn't," Regina agreed.

A few moments later, Emma joined them in the sitting room. "The boys are playing again," she reported. "Dishes are done."

"Thank you, Emma," Mary Margaret smiled. "Now, I think Regina has something to talk to you about."

Mary Margaret moved to stand up, but Regina stopped her with a hand on her forearm. "It's alright, you can stay. It will affect both of you, anyway."

Emma sat down on the chair across from the sofa, looking at Regina nervously. She was sure the woman was about to tell her that she was going to be expelled. She guessed her teacher just wanted to give her a heads up, and break the news more gently than Principal Hart was likely to.

"I have a friend, Kathryn. Her husband actually teaches gym at the elementary school," Regina explained, mostly to Emma, since Mary Margaret knew Kathryn and Jim already. "Anyway, Kathryn is off on leave from work, since she's pregnant, and she's decided to start a daycare in her home. I hope I didn't overstep, Emma, but I told her about your situation, and she's willing to take on Mackenzie."

Emma sighed and gave a small, sad smile. "I appreciate that, I really do, but the thing is, I can't afford to send her to a private daycare. Without subsidy, I just can't do it."

"Emma, don't be ridiculous," Mary Margaret said, "you know David and I will help you."

"I can't ask you for that," Emma insisted. "I'm already putting you out by even having my daughter here, I can't ask you to spend any more money on her."

"Emma," Mary Margaret started, but Emma just shook her head. She could feel the tears burning at the corners of her eyes, and she knew she was about to cry if she didn't get out of there. She got up quickly and left the room.

Mary Margaret sighed and turned to Regina. "She was about to lose her daughter, if we didn't take her," she began to explain, before Regina even had the chance to ask her what that reaction was all about. "And if she can't stay here, Mackenzie will likely end up in the system. Emma's so afraid that if she accepts help from us, we're going to see her as a burden, and kick her out, no matter how many times we tell her that's not the case. I just wish there was a way to get through to her."

"Maybe I can talk to her?" Regina offered. "Where did she go?"

"Her bedroom - down the hall, second door." Mary Margaret pointed it out, and Regina smiled and nodded, heading toward Emma's room.

"Emma?" she called, as she knocked on the door. After a moment, Regina heard a small shuffling, and then the door was pulled open, revealing a teary eyed, sniffling Emma. "Can I come in?"

Emma stepped out of the way, letting Regina enter her little bedroom, before going to sit on the edge of the bed, and motioning that it was okay for her teacher to do the same. It crossed Emma's mind for just a moment that this was inappropriate, but so many things in her life had already been inappropriate to this point, what was one more?

"Sorry I freaked out," Emma said, quietly. "I really do appreciate what you're trying to do for me."

"I know," Regina said, placing a hand lightly over Emma's, which rested on the bed between them. "But I think you need to take a moment to appreciate what Mary Margaret is trying to do for you, too. I know you think you're putting her out by accepting help from her, and maybe in your life no one has tried to do for you what she and David are trying to do now, but just because you've been betrayed before doesn't mean it's going to happen now."

Emma gave another small, sad smile. "I've been screwed over enough times to know, you always gotta expect the worst. I have to watch out for myself and my daughter. I can't rely on someone else because other people aren't around forever."

"I think the Nolans want to be. I'm sure you've had a lot of families treating you like a meal ticket, but that's not what's happening here. I think you need to understand that David and Mary Margaret want a family just as much as you do."

"And what if they change their minds?" Emma asked, as she wiped fresh tears from her cheeks.

"I don't think they will," Regina insisted. "But if they do, then you still have me."

In spite of her better judgment, Emma leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Regina. For a moment, she wondered if she had made a mistake, when she felt the older woman stiffen, but Regina relaxed, and returned the embrace, holding Emma tightly against her.

"Everything's going to be fine, I promise," Regina said. "You have to learn to trust someone. No one can take on life completely alone, not even you."

Emma nodded against Regina's shoulder. "I trust you."

"Good. Then let me help you."

Emma pulled back a bit, to look in Regina's eyes. She had been bullshitted enough in her life that she was pretty good at knowing when people were telling her the truth, and something in Regina's eyes told Emma that she was.

So Emma nodded. "Okay."

* * *

 **In the next chapter: Emma and Regina discuss Zelena... and we learn more about Emma's past and how she ended up where she is now ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

"So, what about the father?" Regina asked, once they had broken off the embrace.

"What?"

"Mackenzie's father," Regina clarified. "You don't have to answer, and if I'm overstepping, please tell me, but shouldn't her father be paying you child support?"

Emma shifted nervously in her seat, debating on whether or not she should tell Regina the truth of Mackenzie's paternity. "Oh. Well, it's kind of complicated."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Complicated? Emma, he has a responsibility to her, too. It takes two to make a baby."

"Not always," Emma shrugged.

"No? Well, I'm no biology teacher but unless you immaculately conceived, there had to be another person involved."

In spite of herself, Emma giggled. "I can't believe I'm talking about this with you," she said, shaking her head. "It's kind of a long, complicated story. Are you sure you want to know?"

"Only if you want to tell me, dear." Her gaze held such honesty, it was stunning. "You can trust me."

Emma sighed. She had told David and Mary Margaret the whole story, and they hadn't freaked out. And realistically, she'd rather that her teacher know the truth, than think she got herself knocked up by some random guy who wanted nothing to do with his own daughter. Why she found it so important for Miss Mills to know the truth, she didn't know for sure.

"Okay, well, it all started about two years ago, in Minnesota. I was almost sixteen, and I had run away from my foster home. I had no place to go and no money, and I saw this car parked on an empty street and it was empty and the doors were unlocked and no one was around, so I just got in. I didn't steal it or anything, I just needed someplace to sleep.

"So anyway, I don't know what I expected to happen, but I woke up when the car's owner, this guy named Neal Cassidy, came to get in his car. He was, like, twenty-six or something, but he had been a runaway too, and he took pity on me and said he would help me out.

"I kind of crashed with him for a little bit, and one day he showed me this pamphlet for this medical clinic, like the kind that does paid drug trials and stuff. But this wasn't for a drug trial, it was an experimental procedure."

Emma looked away, needing to recollect her thoughts. Regina, for her part, was puzzled; so this Neal Cassidy wasn't the father? She didn't say anything though, she didn't want to rush to a conclusion.

"See, recent studies showed that by using bone-marrow, they can make sperm. The cells found there are capable of transforming into any other cell of the body. So using a chemical procedure of sorts, they can make sperm."

"Oh! I've heard about this," Regina said, recalling the conversation she'd had with Rory on the weekend.

"That was the trial; using a woman's bone-marrow, they aimed to impregnate another woman. And they were willing to pay volunteers, either to donate marrow or to attempt fertilization. Bone marrow extraction is an invasive procedure and volunteering to be impregnated paid better, so..."

"You thought carrying a baby would less invasive?" Regina smirked. Her smirk fell away when Emma pouted a little. "From what I've been told, this procedure has never had success in trials."

Emma threw her palms up and shrugged. "Surprize!" she said, with a small smile. "No one else got positive results. It was meant to be free money and no child; only _I_ managed to hit the jackpot; not that I got the cash, anyway."

"So, the clinic never released the details of the… other mother?" Regina asked. "Because _she_ should be helping you out."

"Well, here's the thing: I never wanted to have a baby, and neither did the donor, so I signed a paper saying that if I got pregnant, I would give my baby to two of the doctors. I mean, it was a husband and wife and they had a nice house and lots of money and they promised they weren't going to raise the baby like she was some sort of science experiment. They were going to take care of her. I didn't need to know any of the other woman's details, because I wasn't going to be keeping the kid, and neither was she."

"So, then why do you still have her?" Regina asked.

"Before the clinic even got confirmation I was pregnant, I got a call saying that they shut the whole thing down. I told the doctor who called that I took a test and it was positive, and he said there was a sister study in Boston and he would get me in there. But then, when I got to Boston, I got picked up by Child Services basically as soon as I arrived. I tried to explain the situation to them, but they told me that the clinic I was supposed to be going to didn't even exist."

"That doesn't sound right," Regina frowned. "It likely means none of this is sanctioned by the government, which can lead them to a lot of trouble... I'm sorry, please go on."

Emma paused in silence, contemplating that. It had never occurred to her that there could be anything wrong with the study itself. She shook her head. It didn't matter now, in any event. "Anyway, I got put in this group home, and they said that I was going to have to give up the baby. I still had the Bug; Neal doctored up some fake documents, like an ownership and stuff, so I just took off. I didn't get far, since I got almost no money from that study, and I had no job and no place to go. In the end, I decided that I should give Mackenzie up, and there was a family ready to take her and everything, but then I ran into a friend of mine, Lily, and she talked me out of it."

"And the clinic never tried to contact you again? The doctors, who were going to adopt your child, never tried to find you?"

Emma shrugged. "I entered the trial under a fake name. I guess if they tried, they never found me."

"Well, it would appear that fate wanted you to keep your daughter," Regina commented.

"Fate?" Emma laughed. "Do you really believe in that?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

"Okay, well then, you want to hear the strangest part?" Emma asked.

"This story gets stranger?" Regina teased.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Shockingly, yes. So Lily, I knew her from when I was younger. She kind of screwed me over and was the reason that I ran away from the last home in Minnesota. So I run into her in Boston, and she tells me she's got this boyfriend and they are living together. Wanna take a guess who the boyfriend was?"

"Neal?" Regina hazarded a guess, since that was the only name she'd even heard Emma mention, other than Lily.

"Bingo. I mean, what are the chances of that?! It's like they were _meant_ to find me."

"Must be strange, considering that's your foster brother's name."

"Yeah, fate has a thing for Neals in my life, apparently," Emma shrugged. "So… you're not, like, weirded out by any of this?"

"No," Regina shook her head. "Why would I be?"

"Is it weird if I tell you that even though it wasn't _technically_ immaculate conception, it was technically a virgin birth?" Emma's cheeks flushed the moment the words left her mouth. In the heat of the moment, she forgot she was talking to her _teacher_ , whom she had just informed she was a virgin.

For her part, Regina seemed unfazed; she even smiled a bit. "This stuff doesn't 'weird me out'," Regina insisted, once again taking Emma's hand and giving it a light squeeze. "Back before my fiance died, I learned that I am infertile. We learned about different in vitro fertilization methods, but we never got the chance to..." Regina's voice trailed off as she lost herself in the emotion of those memories. She had never really talked to anyone about this, and she wasn't exactly sure why she was telling Emma now. "I'm not skilled in these kinds of conversations, it would seem."

Emma giggled. "Neither am I."

"Well, now that we both know each other's deep dark secrets, there's something else I want to speak with you about."

"Ugh, I don't know how much more I can take!" Emma cried, in mock exasperation, but the little smile on her face told Regina she wasn't all that serious.

"Well, dear, I would really like to talk to you about your oh-so-lovely employer," Regina said, rolling her eyes at the very thought of the red-haired viper.

"Heh, funny you mention her. She also graciously offered me a solution to all of my problems today. Want to know what it was?"

"Oh, God, I can only imagine. Please, do tell."

"She thinks I should drop out of school and go to work for her full time. Then Kenzie could go to the daycare in her office," Emma sighed. "What kind of person encourages a high school student to drop out of school?"

"The Wicked Witch," Regina replied, with a smirk. "I hope you didn't consider her offer?"

"No. I mean, I wouldn't drop out willingly, but Zelena seems to think it's inevitable."

"Well, dear, it's not. Accept your foster mother's offer to help you, and stay in school and finish your education. That's the best thing you can do for your daughter, and I think you know that."

"Speaking of," Emma said, motioning with her eyes towards the bedroom door. Mackenzie was observing them both with curious brown eyes, and when she locked eye contact with her mother, she bounded into the room, as well as her little legs could carry her, arms up wanting to be picked up.

"She's been walking a little over a month," Emma said, "impressive, right?"

"Very," Regina agreed, as the little one stopped in front of her, holding her arms up and making little grunting noises.

"Seems like you have a fan," Emma grinned, as Regina lifted Mackenzie in to her lap. "And now _I'm_ impressed. She doesn't usually take to strangers so well."

"I'm not a stranger," Regina said, "we spent nearly a whole day together."

"Oh, yeah, you're BFFs now. I can tell," Emma laughed. "I think she's smart, you know? I know everyone thinks their kid is smart, but I think Kenzie really, really is. She's gonna be so much smarter than me."

"You are smart Emma," Regina said, turning to look at her again. "Don't let anyone ever tell you differently, you understand me?"

Emma nodded, blushing a bit. "Yeah."

Mackenzie let out a big yawn and laid her head down on Regina. Emma could tell her little eyelids were getting heavy.

"Looks like it's bed time, Doodlebug," Emma said, brushing a few of Mackenzie's soft blonde curls away from her forehead.

Regina glanced at her watch. "Oh, I didn't even realize how late it was," she said, as she handed the baby back to Emma. "Please promise me you will talk to Mary Margaret about the daycare, okay? I really don't want to see you drop out of school and I _really_ don't want to see you working for Zelena full time. I know I'm way out of bounds saying that, but —"

"You're not," Emma smiled, shaking her head. "It's kind of weird to have someone care about me… someone who's not paid in government subsidies to do so. Kind of weird, but it's nice. And I appreciate it."

"Good. I hope you take Kathryn up on the day care offer," Regina said as she stood. Emma smiled and nodded as she watched Regina leave the room, and sighed as she looked back at her nearly sleeping daughter.

"What do you think, Doodlebug? Can we trust these people?"

Mackenzie just smiled in response.

* * *

Half an hour later, once Mackenzie was asleep in her crib, Emma headed back into the living room. The boys were in their room, reading before lights out, and Mary Margaret was sitting with David on the couch.

"Hey," Emma said, as she flopped down in the adjacent chair, "I didn't hear you come home."

"I was practicing being stealthy," David chided, "you know, so I can catch all the perps."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "All the perps in Storybrooke? Yeah, I can see how stealthiness would be an advantage," she teased.

Mary Margaret marveled at the way Emma and David joked with each other. It seemed to be as natural as breathing to both of them, and had been that way since Emma first arrived. She had expected to face more resistance from Emma, considering she was the oldest of the children they had taken in, but sometimes she could swear they acted like they had been father and daughter forever.

"Mary Margaret was just telling me about Kathryn's day care. Emma, it sounds like a good idea to me," David said.

Emma looked back at forth between the smiling couple on the couch. They looked so eager to help her, and Emma knew that should be reassuring, but given how most people who tried to help her always screwed her over in the end, it was hard not to expect the worst.

"I don't know how much it's going to cost or anything," Emma said, fidgeting a little and looking away.

"Emma, whatever it costs, we will pay it," Mary Margaret insisted. "Your education is important, and I know you feel bad taking money from us, but Emma, we agreed to take you in along with your daughter, and we willingly accept the financial responsibility of that, too."

Emma drew in a deep breath, as she could suddenly feel tears burning at the corners of her eyes. She was never a crier, but it seemed she had cried more since she had come to Storybrooke than she had in the last two years, and she wasn't quite sure what to make of that.

"Guys, I… I don't even know what to say. I mean, no one has ever done as much for me as you two have already, and it's only been a few weeks. I just… I don't want you to regret it. People always get sick of me."

"We're not going to get sick of you, Emma. Never," Mary Margaret insisted, "all of you, for your short time here, are our family. _Always_."

"Miss Mills said she thinks you two want a family just as much as I do," Emma said, tentatively. The words alone made her feel so vulnerable, so exposed, and she waited _still_ for the rejection that she was sure was imminent, even after what Mary Margaret had just said.

"Regina would be right," Mary Margaret nodded. "We've always wanted kids, Emma, but it just never worked out for us. When that social worker called us, it was like a miracle. I mean, four kids was a lot at once, but we don't regret it. Our home has never felt this full of life and love before. And trust me, we're not giving that up for anything."

Emma wiped at the tears making their way down her cheeks. A small part of her wondered what would happen if she tried to hug Mary Margaret right now. Part of her believed that Mary Margaret would return the embrace emphatically, but that little nagging voice inside Emma's brain told her not to push it, so she decided not to. "Um, so can we go talk to Kathryn tomorrow then?" she asked.

David and Mary Margaret grinned. "Of course," David nodded. "I have the morning off tomorrow, I'll take you over there and we'll get Mackenzie all set up. Maybe even in time for you to get back to school for the afternoon."

"Okay," Emma agreed, smiling. "Tomorrow."

"Now, I believe you have some homework to catch up on," Mary Margaret said, nodding towards the papers lying on the coffee table.

"Where did _that_ come from?!" Emma asked. Ruby hadn't dropped it off today.

"Miss Mills was kind enough to bring it with her," Mary Margaret said, with a wink.

"Awesome," Emma smirked, but she really didn't mind. She would take all the homework in the world over having to drop out of school or miss another year.

She gathered up the papers and headed to her room, and sat for a minute watching Mackenzie sleep. She remembered back before the Nolans', when the social worker had shown up to take her to yet _another_ home. She had considered taking her baby and running, until she learned that little Neal would be going with her. It seemed fate had a thing for her and Neals after all, since this family and this town was already proving to be the best thing that had ever happened to her, save for the birth of her daughter.

This family, this town, and Regina Mills.

* * *

 **In the next chapter: Emma meets Kathryn and decides the fate of herself and her daughter... stay tuned ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**So much thanks to my beta reader InsaneMagician for all your help with this chapter :)**

* * *

 **Chapter Nine**

That night, Regina had the worst sleep she'd had in ages. She woke several times, and each time she dozed off again, she was plagued by nightmares. After a while, the night just became a blurred sensation of endless and relentless dreams of darkness.

She dreamed she saved a little dark haired girl on a horse. That should have been a good dream, but she still woke from it feeling incredibly apprehensive and uneasy, though she couldn't tell why.

She dreamed of Daniel dying, at the hands of Cora Hart, of all people. She woke up crying from that one, and it took her hours to fall back to sleep.

Her third dream was a wedding — her wedding — to an old man she didn't recognize, but somehow knew was the King of a faraway. Cora was there, again, and so was the little dark haired girl. Regina awoke crying from this dream, too. She wasn't sure why, but the dream made her incredibly sad and overwhelmed. She couldn't shake the feeling, and she didn't fall back to sleep again that night

* * *

Emma groaned as she rolled over in bed, blinking at the sun streaming in the window. To her surprise, she was up before Mackenzie — which never happened. She glanced at the clock, thinking it must be earlier than she thought, but Mackenzie had actually let her sleep almost half an hour past her normal waking time.

 _Strange._

"Come on, Doodlebug," Emma said, as she got up and headed to the crib. "Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!"

When she didn't immediately jump up, Emma reached into the crib and picked her up. Kenzie blinked at her for a moment, and pouted.

"What's wrong, baby girl?" Emma asked, brushing some stray curls back from the baby's forehead. "We have a big day, you know. We're going to meet a lady who might be able to help us out, so you have to be very good, okay?"

Mackenzie just yawned in response. She fidgeted about, a bit sluggish.

Emma carried her out to the kitchen, where the boys were already eating breakfast, to make her morning bottle.

"You're up late," Mary Margaret commented.

"Yeah, I had to wake Kenzie up for once," Emma shrugged.

"Is she feeling alright?" Mary Margaret asked, suddenly looking concerned.

Emma shrugged again. "She seems fine. Maybe it's just because her routine has been off this week. Did David call that Kathryn lady?"

Mary Margaret nodded. "She said she can see you at nine, so you better get a move on."

Emma left Kenzie to finish her bottle in her highchair at the table with the boys, as she headed back to her room to change. She slipped on a light coloured pair of jeans, and a blue and white plaid button down shirt. She grabbed a diaper and a cute little pink and yellow dress and white tights to put on Kenzie, and headed back out into the kitchen.

"Hey, you ready for today?" David asked, as Emma re-entered the room.

"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess," Emma replied, with a small smile. Truthfully, she didn't want to let herself get too hopeful that this would work out. Things in her life had a tendency _not_ to work out for her, and she didn't know why she expected this to be any different. That did seem to be changing since she came to Storybrooke, but she didn't want to get her hopes up.

"Don't worry about it," David said, "Regina already said Kathryn is willing to take Mackenzie. You just worry about making sure _you_ like her, and feel comfortable sending your daughter there. Let me worry about the money aspect."

Emma's first instinct was to protest that, but she thought back to Miss Mills telling her to learn to trust and accept help, so she just smiled, if a bit forced, and nodded, as she retrieved her daughter from her highchair to get her dressed.

Before long, Mary Margaret was hauling the kids off to school and David, Emma and Mackenzie were in the pick-up on their way to Kathryn's house. Mackenzie was uncharacteristically quiet, still, as they made their way across town. Thankfully, it was a short drive, and soon enough, Emma had her in her arms again, standing on Kathryn's front porch, waiting for an answer at the door.

"David! Hi," a blonde, and heavily pregnant woman said, as she opened the door. "And you must be Emma!"

Emma smiled and nodded, as the woman reached forward to tickle Kenzie under her chin.

"And _this_ must be little Kenzie!" Kathryn continued. "Regina told me she's an absolute doll, and she wasn't wrong. Come on, come inside."

Emma was already having a good feeling as she followed Kathryn into her immaculate home. There were two other little ones playing in the living room: a boy who looked about three, and another little girl with red hair who looked to be just a little older than Kenzie.

Emma surveyed the room as David and Kathryn made a little small talk. There were lots of toys and baby gates and plastic covers over the electrical sockets. A glance through the doorway to the kitchen revealed baby locks on the cupboards and fridge. This woman clearly had safety in mind, which was a relief to Emma.

"So, Regina told me a little about your situation," Kathryn said, as she motioned for Emma and David to join her on the couch. "It's so unfortunate what happened with the town funded daycare, but she caught me just in time. I have one spot left, and she told me to hold it for your little one."

"Oh," Emma said, suddenly feeling guilty. "You didn't have to hold it for me if someone else wanted it."

"Don't be silly," Kathryn said, brushing it off. "Besides, I owed Regina a favour. Before I got pregnant, I was planning on going to law school, and she was helping me quite a bit with my application essays in her free time. I'm still going to go, eventually, but that's on hold for the moment."

Emma laughed. "I bet. High school's hard enough with a kid, I couldn't imagine law school with a baby!"

Kathryn nodded in emphatic agreement, before her face took on a more serious look. "So, Regina mentioned that money is a bit of an issue," she continued.

Emma flushed a little. On one hand, she was glad Miss Mills had given her friend a heads up, just in case Emma would have to say no based on cost alone, but on the other hand, the thought that she couldn't provide for her daughter never ceased to devastate her, none-the-less, even if she was a teenager.

"Money's not an issue, Kat," David insisted. "Emma's going to pay what she payed at the subsidized daycare, and Mary Margaret and I will cover the rest."

"Or," Kathryn said, smiling a little at Emma, "I had another idea. My husband injured his knee a few months ago, and he'd going to be due for surgery a few months after the baby's born. At this point, with his bum knee and me being pregnant, there's a lot that we can't manage ourselves. If you're not opposed to physical labour, I'm willing to trade yard work and such for child minding, to make up the difference between what you would have paid at the other day care."

Emma's mouth dropped in surprise. "Are you serious?" she asked, trying to resist the urge to reach out and hug the woman. "That would be amazing!"

Kathryn smiled. "Good. So it's settled then."

After a tour of the house, and a rundown of Mackenzie's daily schedule, Emma left her nearly sleeping daughter in Kathryn's arms, grinning as she headed out to the truck. She unhooked Kenzie's car seat and brought it back up to Kathryn.

"So, you have all her stuff, and my phone number, and just call —"

"Emma," Kathryn cut her off, shaking her head. "I got this."

"Thank you," Emma said, sincerely. She hoped that Kathryn truly understood what a life saver she was.

"So I'll just walk over to the public school when I'm done," Emma informed David, as he dropped her off in front of the high school. She was actually there in plenty of time to catch most of second period, but she didn't have a car to drive home in that night, since hers was still at the house.

"Sounds good," David agreed. "I'm meeting Mary Margaret for lunch, I'll let her know."

"Thanks, David," Emma smiled, as she opened the door.

"See you tonight, Emma. Have a good day."

Emma stopped and waved at him as he drove off. She couldn't remember the last time a foster parent had dropped her off at school, and she kind of liked it. But she didn't have time to think about that now. She turned and ran into the school, hoping she wouldn't miss too much of Miss Mills' class.

"Miss Swan!"

Emma stopped dead in her tracks as she heard Principle Hart's voice behind her.

"There's no running in the hallways. Why aren't you in class?"

Emma turned. "Sorry. I just dropped my kid off at her new daycare, and I wanted to get to class before I missed too much."

Principle Hart nodded, but didn't smile. "Carry on, then," she said, with a dismissive wave. "No more running."

Emma nodded as she turned and walked quickly the rest of the way to her class. She didn't bother knocking this time, as she pulled open the door. She was about fifteen minutes late, but pretty good, considering she hadn't expected to make it to this class at all.

She shot Miss Mills a quick smile as she scurried quietly to her desk, trying not to disrupt the lesson her teacher was clearly in the middle of. Miss Mills didn't smile back, but Emma didn't miss the look in her eye that told her she was glad she was back.

"It wasn't the same without you," Ruby whispered, as Emma took her seat. "Killian's been acting like a total douche. Need you around to put him in his place."

Emma smirked and shook her head as she opened her book and started copying down the part of the lesson she had missed. She wasn't worried she'd fall behind, since she had done _Hamlet_ before, but Shakespeare was tough and she was a bit rusty, still. Besides, it was still possible for her to learn new things, so it was exciting.

Halfway through class, Regina split the students into their regular groups, and Emma noticed almost immediately that her group was short one obnoxious boy.

"Where's Killian?" Emma asked, as she sat down with Ruby and Ashley.

"Miss Mills kicked him out of our group," Ashley laughed. "Ruby and I have been working alone the last couple days. It's been better, but we missed you."

Emma grinned. "It's good to be missed, but now we're still short one."

"We're getting a new student," Ruby commented. "Next week some time. I guess she'll probably join our group."

"Another new student?" Ashley asked, looking surprised.

"Yeah," Ruby nodded, "I heard Mr. Jefferson talking about it when he was at the diner the other day. So weird. Like, Emma, literally we've _never_ had a new student till you, and now we're getting another one? Hello, total disruption of the whole town."

"Like the clock ticking?"

"Yeah! So weird..."

"Hey! Mama Swan!" Emma cringed when she heard Killian's voice behind her, and turned to look at him before rolling her eyes.

"I thought you were kicked out of this group?" Emma sighed, really not wanting to get into anything on her first day back.

"Just going to sharpen my pencil," Killian said, with a shrug, as he headed to the archaic pencil sharpener secured to the wall a few feet away. "Can't a guy just _sharpen_ his _pencil_ , Emma?"

"I'm sorry, but are you trying to make some sort of lame sexual innuendo here?" Emma asked, exasperated.

"Well, you'd know all about that, wouldn't you, _Mama?_ "

"Mr. Jones, please find your seat," Regina called out from across the room. She couldn't tell what he was saying to Emma, but whatever it was, was clearly making her uncomfortable.

"Hey, don't let it get to you," Ashley said, noting the change in Emma's demeanor.

"It doesn't. That's tame compared to some of the shit I heard when I was still in Boston. Small town boys make insults like third-graders," she laughed.

"I heard he likes you," Ruby commented.

"Oh yeah? So what's he gonna do next? Pull my hair? Push me at recess? I'm _so_ not interested," Emma said, rolling her eyes.

Ruby shrugged. "He's cute, though."

Emma smirked, and looked around to make sure no one else was within ear shot. "Can you two keep a secret?"

Ashley and Ruby both nodded enthusiastically. Emma wasn't sure if they were being completely honest, or just wanted to hear what she was about to say, but she figured it would get out eventually anyway… and it's not like the bomb she was about to drop was anywhere near as big as showing up to class with a baby.

She took another quick glance around, and leaned in closer, so she could speak quietly. "I'm not interested in Killian, because I'm not interested in... boys."

"Ohmigod you're gay?" Ashley gasped, louder than Emma would have liked.

"Yes, please say it a little louder, I don't think the _entire_ school heard you," Emma scoffed.

"No one heard," Ruby insisted, shooting Ashley a glare. "Forgive Ashley, she's been living under a rock for the last decade or so."

"Sorry, Emma," Ashley said, her cheeks getting red. "I just wasn't expecting that. I mean… with the kid and all."

"It's fine," Emma brushed it off, smiling a bit. "The kid's a long story. A long story which I am so not getting into right now."

"Girls," Regina said, when she realized the group was doing everything but working. "I realize it's exciting to have Emma back, but please channel some of that enthusiasm into you work."

Emma smirked as they got back to their work. "So, yeah, me and Killian? Not a chance," Emma whispered, not looking up from her page.

When the class was over, and the rest of the students were gathering up their things to head off for lunch, Emma stayed back to talk to Regina, wanting to properly thank her.

"So, I assume by your presence that all went well with Kathryn?" Regina asked, once the classroom was cleared and Emma approached her desk.

"Yeah," Emma nodded. "She's awesome, and she said Kenzie could start today. Kenzie seems to like her, and her house looks really baby safe _and_ she's letting me trade doing her yard work for part of the cost of the daycare, which I didn't expect at all."

Regina smiled. "Yes, Kathryn's good like that."

"She said you traded in a favour she owed you," Emma said, raising an eyebrow.

"You needed it," Regina shrugged, brushing it off.

"And I appreciate it, Miss Mills, I really do. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Emma."

Emma shifted nervously from one foot to the other, and Regina couldn't tell if the girl was uncomfortable with this conversation, or had something else she wanted to add.

"What is it, Emma?"

"You, uh, you heard what Ashley blurted out, didn't you?" Emma asked, avoiding Regina's eyes.

"Yes," Regina nodded.

"It doesn't, like, bother you or anything does it? I mean, not that I think it would but just sometimes —"

"Emma," Regina said, shaking her head. "No, it doesn't bother me. It shouldn't bother anyone."

Emma breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure why she was worrying quite so much what her teacher thought of her — she never cared one way or the other what _anyone_ thought of her — but Miss Mills affected her in a way she couldn't really explain, or even understand at this moment.

"You should go before you miss lunch, Emma," Regina said, glancing at the clock. "I'm glad you're back."

Emma smiled. "Yeah, me too."

* * *

Emma fished her phone out from the bottom of her backpack. The last class of the day had just ended and she was heading out the door when she heard it ring. She didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?"

"Emma, hi, it's Kathryn," the woman's warm voice came through the other end.

"Oh, hi, Kathryn. What's wrong? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, it's just that Mackenzie's not feeling very well. I think she's coming down with a cold, and I was wondering if you wanted to pick her up early? If you can't, she's perfectly fine to stay here, but she's calling for her Mama."

Emma felt her heart sink. She hated anytime her little one wasn't feeling well. "No, it's fine, I just finished class, I'll come right over," Emma insisted. "Thanks for calling."

Emma made a quick stop at her locker to grab her homework for the weekend and ran out to the parking lot to find her car, and then she remembered…

"Fuck!"

"Emma!"

Emma spun around, though she knew whom the voice belonged to. "Sorry, Miss Mills," she said, blushing. "It's just, Kathryn just called and Kenzie's sick and I said I would come get her but I forgot I didn't drive here this morning. I'll have to call David and see if he can leave work for a few minutes."

"Don't be silly," Regina said, pulling her car keys from her purse, "I'll drive you over. I owe you one anyway, since you drove me home last week."

"Thank you, but you don't owe me anything," Emma smiled. "Like, ever. You've already done so much for me."

"Come on," Regina said, leading the way over to her little black car. "Car seat?"

"Kathryn has it," Emma informed her, as she got into the car.

"Good," Regina said, as she started the car and headed off toward Kathryn's house.

Emma sighed as she slouched back against her seat. "I knew something was up with her today. She wasn't herself. Waking up late... I should have known she would get sick."

"Are you seriously going to berate yourself for not predicting the future?" Regina asked, glancing at Emma for a moment.

"Mothers know these things," Emma shrugged. "Or, they're supposed to. I think I'm missing that mother gene."

"I think you're doing just fine," Regina reassured her. "There's no such thing as the perfect mother. Your daughter is well-looked after and you love her more than anything, I can see that. You're a good mother, Emma."

Emma gave a half-hearted smile as they pulled up in Kathryn's driveway. Regina accompanied Emma up to the door.

"Oh, hi Regina," Kathryn said surprised to see her. "Hey Emma."

"Hey," Emma smiled, taking her sick little girl from Kathryn's arms. "Hi baby," she cooed. Mackenzie blinked sleepily at her.

"She had a bit of a fever but I gave her some baby Tylenol and that seemed to help," Kathryn explained. "She's got a runny nose and a bit of a cough."

"I hope she didn't get any of the other kids sick," Emma sighed, knowing she would feel horrible if she did.

Kathryn shrugged. "If she did, she did. It's just a cold. Don't worry about it. See you Monday," she said, as she handed Kenzie's diaper bag to Emma, and the car set to Regina.

Regina opened the back door of her car, and stared for a moment. "I don't exactly know what do with this," she admitted.

Emma laughed. "Kenzie, can you go see Miss Mills for a minute?" Emma asked, as her daughter clung to her like velcro.

"No, Mama!" Kenzie cried.

"She knows two words, and you just heard both of them," Emma laughed, as she pried her daughter off of her. "Just go see Miss Mills for one minute, Baby."

"Oh, you don't have to call me Miss Mills, little one," Regina said to the baby, as Emma fastened the car seat into the back seat. "Can you say 'Regina'?"

Emma laughed as she straightened back up again. "In your dreams," she said, shaking her head, as she took the baby back and strapped her into her seat.

"Well, if I didn't know any better, Miss Swan, I'd say that sounds like a challenge," Regina grinned.

"You actually think you can get a ten-month-old to say a three-syllable name that starts with 'R'?" Emma asked, as they got back into the car.

"I don't see why not," Regina shrugged.

"Okay, fine, yeah, it's a challenge then."

"What do I get when I win?" Regina asked, as she pulled out of the drive way.

"What do you want?"

"Hmm, I'd have to think on that," Regina smirked.

"Okay," Emma agreed. "And I'll think on what _I_ want, when you lose. And it has to be an 'R' - a _distinct_ 'R' - not a 'W' sound."

"Fine. Not a problem," Regina shrugged.

Emma just smiled and shook her head, figuring she definitely had the advantage, since Mackenzie had never made a sound that remotely sounded like an 'R' in her life.

"She's out," Emma commented, as they pulled up to the house. "Can you hold her while I get her seat out?"

Regina nodded and got out of the car, taking the sleeping baby as Emma handed her off. "I'll help you get her inside," Regina offered, knowing there was no way Emma was going to be able to get the baby, the seat, the diaper bag and her backpack up in one trip.

"Thanks," Emma smiled, as she led the way up to the door. "Seriously. For everything."

"Stop thanking me," Regina insisted. "I wouldn't offer if I didn't want to help."

Regina handed the sleeping baby back to Emma once they were inside, and Emma smiled as she watched her teacher leave, thinking about all the times people in her life had offered to do things for her, always expecting something in return. She could tell this was different.

Emma glanced at the clock as she passed through the kitchen, and realized Mary Margaret would be off work now and wondering where she was.

"Shit," she mumbled as she grabbed her phone and dialed with one hand, balancing the baby in her other arm.

"Emma? Where are you?" Mary Margaret's voice came through the other end. She didn't sound upset or angry. She sounded worried - a truly _going-to-be-sick_ kind of worried. Emma wasn't expecting that.

"Sorry! Kenzie got sick and I had to go get her. Miss Mills drove me over, and I completely forgot to call you. I'm at home now with Kenz."

"Sick? What's wrong? Is she okay?" Emma could have sworn the woman sounded almost panicked, and she couldn't help but find it almost _refreshing_. She couldn't recall the last time a foster mother had even bothered to wonder where she was, let alone if she was okay or her daughter was okay.

"Just a cold," Emma explained. "She just wanted me. She'll be fine."

"Okay, sweetie. You remember that I have parent-teacher interviews tonight, right? It's just going to be you and the boys till David gets off work, around nine. Will you be alright with them still, with Kenzie being sick?"

Emma had completely forgotten she'd agreed to babysit tonight, but she couldn't exactly back out now. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Okay, I'll be home in ten minutes with the boys," Mary Margaret said.

Emma sighed as she ended the call. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

 **In the next chapter... who's going to be next to catch Mackenzie's cold? And _who's_ going to have to take care of the sickling? ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So, if you are following my other stories, you may already know, I've put all my stories on a kind of posting schedule, to ensure that they are all updated regularly (once a week), so this story, from now on, will be updated every Monday :)**

* * *

 **Chapter Ten**

It wasn't long after Mary Margaret had left for her parent-teacher interviews that Emma realized she was anything _but_ fine, with two boys and a sick baby. She had no idea why she'd expected any other than _not fine_.

Mackenzie refused to sleep, and cried if Emma even _thought_ about putting her down, and the boys were in rare form. After half an hour of chasing them around the house, with a baby on her hip, trying to keep them separated so they wouldn't fight, Emma knew she was in over her head. She grabbed her phone and shot a text to Mary Margaret.

 _SOS. Boys are being brats. What do I do?_

Emma dropped her phone when she heard something crash in the other room, and the commotion of Emma running off after the source of the sound sent Mackenzie into hysterics again. She was red-faced and screaming when Emma found the boys trying to push the small bookshelf in her bedroom back into a standing position.

"It was Neal!" Henry cried, the moment Emma stepped into the room.

"It was Henry," Neal insisted, pointing at Henry.

"I don't care _who_ it was, you both know you're not allowed in here, and you're not supposed to touch my things! Get out!"

Henry gave Neal a little shove as the boys left the room, which prompted Neal into chasing Henry through the house. Emma closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip, silently counting to ten and trying to remind herself that the boys hadn't had the greatest of lives in the foster care system either, and it was normal for kids to act out. She just wished they didn't have to do it _tonight_.

Mackenzie at least had stopped screaming by the time Emma pushed the books out of the way of the door, and shutting it tight.

"Let's see if Mary Margaret texted us back," Emma said, as she carried her daughter back through the living room to retrieve her phone. The indicator light was flashing, to her relief, but she was surprised to see the text wasn't from Mary Margaret, it was from Regina.

 _I'm not sure this message was meant for me, dear. Do you need reinforcements?_

Emma shook her head, smirking when she realized that she had accidently sent the message to Regina in her haste. She had no contacts between "Mary Margaret" and "Miss Mills", and she guessed she must have just tapped the wrong name.

 _Sorry. That was meant for MM. She has parent-teacher interviews and I have a sick baby and two bratty boys :(_

"Who are you texting, Emma? Your _boyfriend_?" Henry teased, as he came back into the living room.

"No, Santa Claus, to tell him not to bring you anything this year," Emma replied, looking serious as ever. Her phone chimed and she looked back down at it.

 _Need help?_

Emma shifted her weight from one foot to the other, debating on how she should answer that. On one hand, she wanted Miss Mills to come over and help her, but on the other hand, she was _well_ aware that she was treading on dangerous ground here. She had never in her life, spent time with a teacher outside of school before, and it seemed to be becoming a regular occurrence with Miss Mills.

Then again, Emma reasoned, she'd never been in such a small school in such a small town before, either. Miss Mills didn't seem to think it was strange, so maybe it wasn't? Perhaps it was common in small towns? After all, why would she even offer if it wasn't appropriate?

 _No, it's okay, I'll handle it._

"You're not getting any gifts this Christ- _mas_!" Neal sing songed, mocking Henry.

"I _am_ so!" Henry shot back. "Santa doesn't text!"

Emma chewed on her lip as she stared at the screen of her phone, wondering if she should just accept the help. To her relief, her phone chimed again.

 _What did I tell you about accepting help when it's offered?_

Emma grinned and shook her head, and glanced over at the boys. Henry had Neal in a headlock, Mackenzie had snot dripping down her face, and Emma hadn't even thought about starting dinner yet.

 _Well, Mackenzie does miss you..._

She couldn't bring herself to actually _admit_ to needing help, so she figured the kid was a convenient excuse.

 _I'll be there in 5._

Emma smiled as she dropped her phone back on the couch and headed to grab a cloth to wipe Mackenzie's face.

True to her word, Regina made it to the Nolan home in five minutes. Emma knew she lived close, but she was still impressed when she heard the doorbell.

"How can I help?" Regina asked, immediately, once Emma pulled the door open.

"Uh, well, I'm just looking for rope to tie up the boys. Duct tape would also work," Emma smirked, as she glanced over at Henry, who dropped Neal from the headlock when he saw Emma's teacher enter the house, his shocked expression turned red from embarrassment.

"Emma!" He whined, "why is your teacher here?"

"Emma called in the cavalry," Regina teased as she stepped into the room and turned back to Emma. "Have you eaten?"

Emma shook her head as she wiped at Mackenzie's nose again. "No, I need to feed her first."

"Okay, take care of your daughter, I'll take care of dinner," Regina instructed, as she started toward the kitchen.

"What about the boys?"

Regina stopped and glanced at the boys, who were staring at her, expectantly. "Oh, I don't think they're going to give you any more problems, or they will have me to deal with. Isn't that right, boys?"

The boys just nodded, solemn looks on their faces.

"I think I have homework to do," Henry mumbled, before scurrying off to his room.

Neal wasted no time following after Emma as she went to make Mackenzie's bottle.

"He's shy," Emma commented, as she scooped the formula, while Regina checked the fridge for something she could cook quickly.

"Em," Neal said quietly, tugging on the leg of Emma's jeans. "Sorry I was bad."

Emma patted his head. "I know, buddy. It wasn't all your fault. Now, I've gotta feed Kenzie, are you coming with me or helping Miss Mills cook?"

"Coming with you," Neal insisted, grabbing at Emma's hand.

"Neal, how do you feel about macaroni and cheese?" Regina asked, attempting to get the boy to feel more comfortable with her.

Neal just stared at Regina, but didn't answer.

"He likes mac and cheese," Emma confirmed, before heading into the living room to feed Kenzie her bottle.

She fell asleep before she even finished, and Emma guessed that was probably a good thing. Maybe she'd wake up feeling better.

Emma carried the baby back to her bedroom, Neal tagging close behind, momentarily having forgotten about the mess of books from the overturned bookcase. She kicked some books out of the way before crossing the room and placing Mackenzie in her crib.

When she turned back, she grinned when she noticed Neal trying to clean up the books as best he could.

"Thanks buddy," she said, as she pushed the bookshelf back into a standing position. "We can organize them later, let's just get them off the floor for now."

Neal nodded and helped her quickly stack books on the shelf. Emma stopped when she came across a large book she'd never noticed before.

"Once Upon a Time..." she read the title out loud as she ran her fingers over the embossed leather cover. "This book is huge, how did I never see this before?"

Neal just shrugged as they finished up. Emma carried the book with her and stopped at Henry's door.

"Hey kid," she called to him. "Check it out."

"What's that?" Henry asked, his interest quickly piqued. Emma knew he was an avid reader and she hoped the book could be a peace offering between the two of them, showing there were no hard feelings.

At the very least, it could hopefully distract him from acting like a little brat, she figured.

"I just found it," Emma shrugged. "Looks like fairy tales. I thought you might like something new to read."

"Thanks, Emma!" Henry beamed, as he came over to get the book from Emma. "Maybe we can read some tonight?"

"Later," Emma agreed. "First we should go set the table since Miss Mills is going to the trouble of cooking us dinner when she really didn't have to."

"Okay," Henry agreed, as he dropped the book on his bed and followed Emma back to the dining room to set the table.

"Kenzie's sleeping?" Regina asked, noticing the baby monitor on the table when she brought the macaroni and cheese out in a stoneware casserole dish.

"Yeah," Emma nodded, "probably the best thing for her. Did you bake this from scratch? We usually just eat KD. Three kids in the house, I kinda got used to kid food."

"Yes, dear," Regina smiled. It was a rare occasion that she got to cook for anyone but herself these days. Given more time she would have prepared a lasagna or a pot roast.

"It smells amazing. Thank you!" Emma marveled as she sat down. "Boys, you should thank Miss Mills, too. If it weren't for her you'd be eating PB&J for dinner tonight!"

"Thank you, Miss Mills," Henry said, enthusiastically. For his part, Neal didn't speak up, but he did offer Regina a small smile, and Emma thought that was progress, at least.

"This is really good!" Henry declared, through a mouth full of pasta, once dinner had been served.

"Henry, don't talk with your mouth full," Emma scolded. It amazed her sometimes how she could sound more like a mother than a sister, but she supposed she should get used to it, since it wouldn't be long before she'd have to be telling Kenzie the same thing.

"Thank you, Henry," Regina smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

"I think Neal does, too," Emma grinned, watching the younger boy shove noodles in his mouth like they were going out of style. Neal just smiled sheepishly in response. "They're being so good now, they're making me look like a liar for saying I needed help."

"Oh, you needed help, did you?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow. "And here I thought I was only here because Mackenzie missed me."

Emma blushed a little. "Yeah. She did. She told me."

"Kenzie can't talk!" Neal blurted out, momentarily forgetting there was a guest present, and he was supposed to be acting shy. He immediately turned his eyes back to his plate and resumed eating while Emma laughed.

"Why can't you ever just back me up?" Emma asked, shaking her head in mock exasperation.

"Can we read a story from that book after supper?" Henry asked. Emma grinned.

"Well, after supper Neal needs a bath because he's starting to look like a cheese monster. But then I think we could read a story before bed," Emma agreed.

After supper, just as Emma and Henry began gathering the dishes from the table, they heard Mackenzie start wailing again through the baby monitor.

"I really thought she was going to be out for the night," Emma sighed, as she placed the dishes on the counter. "We're going to have to delay bath time and storytime I think."

"I can get her," Regina offered, "if you think she'll be okay with that. Then you can still bathe Neal. Teamwork, my dear."

"You can try," Emma agreed. "She sounds really mad though, so if she doesn't settle, I'll take her. Neal's not going to mind a postponed bath, I'm sure."

"But I think Henry might mind a postponed story," Regina said, shooting a smile at the boy. "You start the bath, I'll get the baby, and Henry, do you think you can take care of the dishes?"

"By myself?" Henry whined, looking at Emma for her to come to his defense.

"Miss Mills was nice enough to cook for us, Henry," Emma reminded him. "The least you can do is the dishes. It's not a lot, and we've all go to help out. Teamwork, just like she said."

"Fine," Henry grumbled, as he carried the rest of the dishes into the kitchen. "But I'm not going to do a good job!"

"Do a good job or else I'll take that book back!" Emma called back, as she took Neal by the hand to lead him to the bathroom, and Regina set off in the direction of Emma's bedroom to get the baby.

Emma strained her ears to listen over the sound of the tub filling, and was surprised and relieved to hear that Mackenzie stopped crying pretty quickly. "That was fast," she mumbled to herself, and for his part, Neal seemed to pick up immediately on what Emma meant.

"Kenzie likes your teacher," Neal acknowledged, as he got into the tub.

"Yeah, she does."

"You like her, too," he continued.

"I do, do I? How would you know that, I wonder?" Emma asked, with a small smirk. Neal had an uncanny knack for reading people, and she guessed that was a result of rarely talking and always observing whenever anyone other than immediate family, or at least immediate _foster_ families, were in the room.

"When you smile at her, I can see all your teeth," Neal explained. "You only smile like that for me or Kenzie, and sometimes Henry, and I know you like us best, so you must like her, too."

Emma smirked. This kid was too smart for his own good. "Yeah, you're right, I like her."

"Are you gonna marry her?" Neal asked, his eyes serious.

"What? Neal, I can't marry her!" Emma laughed, splashing water at him.

"Why? Girls can marry girls. Remember that other home we lived at? The girl next door was married to a girl. Remember?"

"Yes, I remember, Neal. But they were in love. Miss Mills is my teacher. It's different," Emma insisted.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why is it different? People can love teachers. Mary Margaret is a teacher and David loves her," Neal pointed out.

"David isn't her student, buddy. It's different."

"But she's pretty."

"Who? Mary Margaret?"

"No! Miss Mills!" Neal laughed. He may have only been five, but he was smart enough to know when Emma was deflecting.

"Oh, my bad," Emma giggled. "Yes, she is pretty. Now, let's stop talking and hurry up this bath so we can read that story, shall we?"

Neal nodded and let Emma wash the cheese out of his hair. Neal was the only person she'd met in life who rivaled her love of food.

 _God help the Nolan's if they keep him till he's a teenager. They'll have to take second jobs just to feed him!_

Emma helped Neal out of the tub when he was clean, and helped him into his fuzzy Spiderman feetie pajamas.

"You look good, dude," Emma grinned, as she brought him back to the living room. His blonde curls were still wet and his green eyes were sparkling. More than once they'd been mistaken for _actual_ brother and sister in public, both in Storybrooke and in the first home they were in together. Emma, herself, couldn't see the resemblance, but she guessed it must be there, since Kenzie was starting to look like a brown-eyed version of Neal.

She shook the thought from her head as they reached the living room. It wasn't possible, but she guessed it was convenient that all three of them looked alike, since they were basically family anyway.

Emma smiled when she spotted Regina on the couch, cradling Mackenzie in her arms. The baby was asleep again, and Regina had her wrapped up in her old white baby blanket.

"Henry's nearly finished the dishes," Regina informed her, as she sat down, and Neal climbed up in her lap.

"Slow as molasses that kid is," Emma laughed, as she stroked Mackenzie's soft hair. "Feels like her fever is gone."

"Yes, she seemed fine when I got her. Perhaps a nightmare?" Regina suggested.

"Maybe," Emma nodded. "Or maybe she it was just her fever breaking. No way to tell when she's so little."

"Yes, it's easier when they talk," Regina acknowledged. "Perhaps I should have gotten her to start practicing on my name while she was still awake."

Emma smiled and shook her head. "Oh, you still think you have a chance at that, do you?"

"Of course," Regina nodded. "Oh, and I found this blanket on the back of the chair in your bedroom, I hope it was alright to use for her."

"Yeah, it is. This was my blanket, you know." Emma lifted the corner to show Regina where her name was embroidered on the edge. "My birth parents left me on the side of the road. A little boy found me, and I was wrapped in this blanket. The first family who took me decided to keep the name, I guess."

Regina nodded, debating on whether she should share the story of how her biological parents had abandoned her on the side of the road, as well. Her thoughts were cut short, however, as Henry entered the room.

"Storytime?" He asked, excitedly.

"Yes," Emma grinned, "grab your book."

Henry ran off to his room, and reappeared moments later with the storybook.

"You don't have to stay, if you don't want to," Emma said, turning to Regina. "Mary Margaret is due home any time now, if you have things you need to do or anything?"

Regina shrugged. "I'd rather listen to the story."

Emma smiled, secretly glad Regina was staying, after all, and cuddled Neal closer as he snuggled on her lap. "Okay."

"Henry, are you going to read aloud to us?" Regina asked.

"Oh, yeah, I can," Henry said, sitting down next to Emma. He began flipping through the book, looking for a story to read. "How about some Wizard of Oz?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "I work with the Wicked Witch, didn't you hear? You think I want to _read_ about her, too?"

Henry laughed and pointed to the picture on the page. "Well, she doesn't _look_ like the Mayor, at least. Look, she's got got green skin!"

"Fine," Emma sighed, "Wizard of Oz it is."

Henry grinned and began reading aloud. It didn't take long before Neal was asleep, curled up on Emma's lap as she stroked his hair.

"This story's not exactly how I remember it," Emma commented, when Henry was about halfway through.

Henry shrugged. "I like it better this way. Now be quiet so I can finish it, please."

Emma smirked, but stayed silent so he could finish the story. Just as he reached the end, Mary Margaret came through the door.

"Emma, I'm sorry I'm a bit late," she said, as she made her way to the living room, and stopped in her tracks at the sight before her on the couch. "Oh! Regina! I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"I tried to send you a text because the boys were being… well, because I needed help. I accidently sent it to Miss Mills instead," Emma explained, deciding at the last minute against throwing her foster brothers under the bus.

"Miss Mills made us mac and cheese, and not from a box," Henry beamed.

Mary Margaret smiled. "Thank you, Regina."

"Oh, it was my pleasure," Regina insisted. "You've got good kids."

Mary Margaret grinned from ear to ear at the compliment, which made Emma smile, too. Most foster parents instantly corrected anyone who mistakenly referred to their foster kids as their actual kids, but Mary Margaret seemed to take it as a compliment.

"What are you reading?" Mary Margaret asked, noticing the book on Henry's lap for the first time.

"That old fairy tale book. I hope you don't mind I gave it to Henry," Emma said.

Mary Margaret looked at the book in confusion. "I don't think that's mine."

"Oh, well I found it on the little bookshelf in my bedroom."

"Hmm. Strange. Maybe it's David's? Either way, it's fine, I don't mind. You know I love it when you guys read. Now let's get this one to bed." Mary Margaret bent down to scoop Neal up from Emma's arms. "You too, Henry, it's getting late and you have soccer tomorrow."

Henry groaned but got up anyway, thanking Regina for dinner once more, before taking his book and heading off to his room.

"He really is a good kid," Emma commented, once he was out of ear shoot. "They both are. Just a little much to handle when they don't see me as an authority figure."

Regina smiled. "I think you did fine. They were all still alive and without injury when I arrived. Three kids is a lot for anyone, especially when one is sick."

"Yeah, okay," Emma nodded. "Thanks again, seriously. I just hope Kenzie doesn't get you sick."

"I'm sure I'll be fine. I have a good immune system," Regina insisted, as she handed Mackenzie back to Emma. "But, now that Mary Margaret is home, I guess I should be going. Any time you need anything, though, Emma, don't hesitate to ask."

"It's not weird? Like, you're my teacher and everything," Emma said, chewing nervously on her bottom lip again.

"No, it's not weird," she answered with certainty, smiling as she placed a comforting hand on Emma's shoulder before heading towards the door.

Emma watched as Regina left, and then got up to put Mackenzie back in her crib, hoping that _this_ time she was out for the night.

"Oh, did Regina leave?" Mary Margaret asked, as she came back out into the hallway the same time Emma did.

"Yeah. It's not weird, right? That she came here, I mean?"

"No, why would it be weird?" Snow chuckled, as they made their way back to the living room.

"Well, because she's my teacher," Emma explained.

"Yes, well, teachers are people, too, you know," Mary Margaret scoffed, before grinning at Emma to let her know she was kidding.

"Yeah, I know. Neal thinks I should marry her," Emma grinned. She had already come out to David and Mary Margaret, within her first week of arriving in Storybrooke. She assumed since they accepted she was a teen mother, they would accept her sexual orientation, and they did, so Emma wanted to test the waters joking around a bit.

"Well, that might be weird," Mary Margaret laughed.

"What, because she's a _teacher_? I have it on good authority that teachers are people, too. And Neal tells me that people can even love teachers. You and David are his prime examples."

"Oh, well good to know I'm still lovable, in spite of my career," Mary Margaret grinned, shaking her head. "But how about you graduate high school before we worry about marrying you off, hmm?"

Emma felt a warmth in her heart at Mary Margaret's use of the word 'we'. It was such a simple thing, she probably hadn't even thought about it, or even realized she had said it, but to Emma it signified that Mary Margaret planned on Emma being around after high school, and being an active part in Emma getting married one day.

Like a mother would.

"Okay," Emma agreed. "And thanks."

"For what?"

"Everything, I guess. I really like it here. I don't think I thank you enough."

Mary Margaret hesitated for a moment, trying to decide if it was still too soon to attempt a hug. This moment, however, felt too special to waste, and she went for it. "I like having you here," Mary Margaret said softly in Emma's ear.

The embrace caught Emma off-guard, but she couldn't help the smile spreading across her face. It wasn't the first time she'd been hugged by a foster mother, but it was the first time she'd been hugged by a foster mother who felt like she had the potential to be her family. And it felt good, and safe.

It felt like home.

* * *

When Regina returned home, she noticed for the first time, in a long time, how empty her apartment felt. She'd been living alone for so long that she'd really gotten used to it, but now, after spending an evening in a home full of people, she couldn't help to notice how _quiet_ her apartment was.

She couldn't keep her mind off of Emma and Mackenzie as she went through her normal evening rituals: tea and a few chapters of a good book, before a nice soak in her tub and then to bed. Something about Emma was different than anyone Regina had ever met before. There was something special about her, but Regina just couldn't put her finger on just what it was.

She chalked it up to Emma being new. Everyone else in Storybrooke, she'd known _forever_. Emma was new and unknown and Regina was sure that's the only reason she was drawn to her.

That had to be it.

And if it wasn't, it wasn't going to do her any good thinking about it now. Now, she needed to sleep.

The only problem was, sleep, as of late, had been filled with bizarre dreams, and tonight was no different.

 _Regina is standing in a large and unfamiliar — yet somehow familiar — room. It looks almost medieval, just like the ornate gown with the intricate beading and panniers._

 _She's facing Cora, and Cora is smiling and saying something. Regina can't focus on the words. All she can focus on is the mirror behind Cora._

 _A looking glass._

 _Like Alice in Wonderland. She doesn't know how she knows, but she just knows. If she were to push Cora, she could banish her in Wonderland forever._

 _She supposes nothing is stopping her. She's not sure why, but she knows she's feeling angry at Cora. Somehow, it's her fault Regina is here. She's feeling hurt and betrayed and so very angry, and without a second thought, she pushes._

 _And she was right. It was a looking glass, and Cora went right through, until it shattered into a million pieces, right before her eyes. And now she's free._

 _So why doesn't she feel free?_

Regina shot up in bed, breathing hard as her heart beat rapidly against her rib cage. She tried to calm herself down, and regulate her breathing, and remind herself that it had just been a dream.

But if it was just a dream, why did it feel more like a memory?

* * *

 **So this chapter ended up longer than I had originally expected, so you'll have to wait til the next chapter to find out who gets sick, and who takes care of the sickling :) :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Emma groaned as she rolled over in bed the next morning. Her head was pounding, her throat was sore and she moaned when she realized she'd caught Mackenzie's cold.

"Wonderful," she muttered to herself, "now we're both sick. Awesome."

"Mama! Mama mama _mama_!"

Emma looked over at Mackenzie's crib, taking note of the smiling baby bouncing up and down on the mattress, eyes bright and cheeks glowing.

"Okay, so _one_ of us is sick," Emma corrected, as she crawled out of bed and made her way across the bedroom to pick up her daughter. "It's nice that you share, but some things you can keep to yourself, you know?"

Emma groaned again as Mackenzie poked at her forehead as she brought her over to the kitchen.

"Oh, sweetie, you don't look well," Mary Margaret commented, as Emma entered the room.

"I feel like I got hit by a bus," Emma lamented, as she got Kenzie's formula ready.

"Oh, honey! Here, give me Kenzie and I'll feed her, you go get some more rest," Mary Margaret offered, holding her hands out to take the baby. Emma was about to protest, when she remembered that she was _supposed_ to be accepting help, so she just nodded, and headed back to her bed.

She didn't really sleep, but more so tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable. She decided to get up and try a hot shower instead, hoping the steam would clear out her sinuses a bit.

In the shower, she leaned her head against the cool tiles at the steaming water poured over her body. Even standing seemed to be taking extreme effort, and she was fully aware now of why Mackenzie was so miserable the day before.

But now Mackenzie was fine, and Emma was going to have to stay home with her while Mary Margaret carted the boys off to soccer, since David was working.

Emma groaned as she felt the water start to turn cold. David and Mary Margaret had each already showered that morning, and that didn't leave a whole lot of hot water left for Emma. She turned off the stream, and stood in the lingering steam for a few moments, before telling herself to get it together, and go out there and face her day.

Emma avoided her reflection in the mirror as she pulled on her yoga pants and a red hoodie over her black tank top. She didn't even want to know how puffy and red her face probably looked right now.

"Emma! Emma look!" Henry cried, the moment Emma stepped out of the bathroom and back into the hallway. She glanced over at him, and he was standing, grinning in his maroon and white soccer uniform, holding the storybook in his hands.

"Ugh, not now, kid, okay?" She whined as she headed back to the living room to find Mary Margaret and Mackenzie.

"Em! Are you coming to soccer today! I want you to see me kick the ball!" Neal exclaimed excitedly, as he ran up to her and grabbed her legs. His uniform was yellow and black and he reminded her of a little bumblebee. It was cute the first time she saw it, but today, even Neal was making her head hurt.

"Not today, buddy," she sighed, as she sat down on the couch next to Mary Margaret.

Mary Margaret immediately put the back of her hand on Emma's forehead, feeling for her temperature, which caused Emma to jump in surprise. She hadn't had someone check her temperature in years. "Feels like you're running a fever," Mary Margaret frowned. "Maybe I should keep the boys home and take care of you."

Part of Emma wanted to jump at the chance to have her foster mother take care of her — and she knew she must _really_ be unwell to want _anyone_ taking care of her — but one glance at the boys who were already tackling each other to the ground, and Emma knew she was better off taking her chances at home with Mackenzie alone.

"I'll be okay," Emma insisted. "It's just a cold."

Mary Margaret's frown of concern deepened. "Are you sure? Maybe I should just take Mackenzie with me then, so you can sleep."

Emma shook her head. "She won't sit for the whole game, and she hates her stroller. It's not fair to you to have to chase her around all day. It's a tournament, isn't it?"

Mary Margaret nodded. "Yes. Neal has two games and a lunch break in between. Henry could have two or three, depending on how the team does," she confirmed.

"Yeah, no way Kenzie would behave all day. I'll be fine, seriously. It's just a cold. Kenzie survived it, I can survive it too," Emma insisted, putting on her bravest face.

"Such a trooper," Mary Margaret smiled. "At least call me if you need anything, okay, honey? Seriously, the tournament is only a ten minute drive away, and I can get another mother to watch the boys if I need to run back here."

"Okay, okay," Emma said, smiling. She wasn't used to having someone dote on her quite so much, but she had a feeling she could start getting used to this. "I'll call, I promise. And I'll call the right number this time."

"Okay," Mary Margaret said as she stood. She leaned down to give Kenzie a kiss goodbye, as she sat playing with her blocks on the rug in the middle of the living room floor, before ushering the boys out the door. She stopped one more time before she left to remind Emma to call in case of _anything_ , and then headed out.

Mackenzie crawled up to her young mother the moment Emma laid back on the couch, looking at her inquisitively.

"Hi Doodlebug. Wanna have a nap with Mama?" Emma said, holding out her arms.

"No!" Kenzie declared, but made no attempt to move away.

"Yes! Nap with Mommy, you know you want to," Emma said, trying to entice her daughter. "Come cuddle up and make me feel better, since you made me sick."

Emma scooped Mackenzie up to cuddle with her. She wasn't always the most cuddly baby, but sometimes she seemed to sense when her mother needed a snuggle.

This was not one of those times.

"No! Mama! No!" Kenzie declared, as she tried to wriggle herself free from her mother's arms.

"Yes, Kenzie! Yes," Emma giggled, and regretted it as soon as she laugh turned into a barking cough.

Mackenzie looked positively horrified, the way only a baby could when an adult made an unexpected noise, and Emma decided she wasn't winning this battle.

Surprisingly enough, right when she decided to give up the fight, was right when Mackenzie decided to settle down and finally snuggle up for a nap.

* * *

Emma jolted awake at the sound of a knock on the door. She was a little disoriented from her nap, and she had no idea what time it was, but she was sure they weren't expecting any company today. Kenzie blinked sleepily at Emma, having also been rudely awakened, and for a moment, Emma considered just ignoring this unexpected visitor.

The knocking persisted and Emma quickly realized she had no other choice than to answer the door. She sighed and groaning, scooped her daughter onto her hip as she stood to go greet her guest, hoping it was just some Bible thumper she could send on their way, and return to wallowing in her cold for the rest of the morning.

Or was it afternoon? Emma had no idea how long she'd slept. She decided it didn't really matter as she padded across the floor to the door. She wasn't going anywhere today anyway.

"Miss Mills," Emma greeted her teacher, surprised and more than a little confused.

Regina smiled and held up what appeared to be a take-out container of soup. "Can I come in? I brought chicken soup."

"Uh, sure," Emma said, stepping back to let her teacher inside, silently grateful that she'd put on actual clothes after her shower, instead of putting her pajamas back on.

"I ran into Mary Margaret at the diner," Regina explained, "she was on a coffee run and she told me you were sick. She felt really bad leaving you here alone."

"So she sent over a babysitter?" Emma asked, not sure whether she should appreciate the gesture, or be totally offended.

But Regina just laughed. "No. She didn't ask me to come, I just thought you might like some soup," she said, holding out the container again. "It will make you feel better."

Emma glanced at the clock in the kitchen. It was almost noon, she supposed she should eat. "Thank, uh, I've gotta feed Kenzie first though."

"Trade me," Regina offered, holding out her free hand for the girl.

For once, Emma decided not to put up a fight, and handed off her daughter to Regina, graciously accepting the soup. "The can of her formula is on the counter, still," Emma informed her, "and there's a bottle with the water already in it, ready to go."

"Got it," Regina nodded, grinning down at the little one in her arms. "Go eat, I can handle this."

Emma sighed and grabbed a spoon from the drawer, before heading back into the living room. She was beyond the point of wondering whether this was normal or not. Her teacher didn't seem to find it odd, so why should she?

After all, Henry _lived_ with his teacher, and no one thought that was strange.

Emma glanced down at the coffee table as she sat down. Henry had left his book there, open, and she suddenly remembered there was something in there he wanted her to see. She felt a little bad about blowing him off earlier, since she knew for a fact how kids in the system felt ignored at the best of times, and made a mental note to make sure she asked him about it later.

She looked down at the picture on the page, and smirked a little, shaking her head.

"What?" Regina asked, as she entered the room, Mackenzie happily drinking her bottle.

"Nothing," Emma shrugged. "Just that picture in Henry's book, Snow White kind of looks like Mary Margaret, with long hair."

Regina glanced at it for a moment. "Yeah, she kind of does, actually."

"Henry wanted to show me something in that book this morning. I bet that's what it was. He's got a wild imagination, that one. Next think you know, he's gonna be thinking Mary Margaret _is_ Snow White."

"He seems like a nice boy," Regina commented, as she settled in with Mackenzie on her lap. "Did you know him before you came here?"

Emma shook her head. "No. I knew Neal before, but it's rare to end up with the same kids in a foster home more than once. I met Henry the day I came to Storybooke. But he is a good kid. He's had a rough life. He was born in prison and his mom refused to give up parental rights. He went into foster care then, and by the time she got out he was nearly two and she decided she didn't want him. She screwed him over big time, just like the first family I had did to me."

"What do you mean?"

"The Swans, they kept me until I was three, and sent me back. No one wants to adopt _kids_ , they all want babies. Henry was younger, but he bounced around a lot before he even turned two, and his mother was in prison. Needless to say, he wasn't a prime selection. Me, on the other hand, I had no family on record, and not many people want to take a chance on a kid they have absolutely no information on."

"I guess I got lucky then," Regina muttered, not really intending to say it out loud.

"How so?"

Regina sighed. "My story's a little bit similar to yours, oddly enough. My birth mother left me on the side of road in a little basket. Like you, the only thing she really gave me was a name. Unlike you, however, I was found and adopted by a young childless couple. My adoptive mother died when I was young and my adoptive father was an alcoholic. I ended up leaving home to get away from him, and that's how I ended up here."

Emma held up her cup of soup, as if to make a toast. "Here's to shitty birth parents, then," she said, her face flushing the moment the words left her mouth. "Oh, my God, I'm sorry Miss Mills. I totally didn't mean to swear!"

Regina laughed. "It's fine, dear. We're not in school and I've heard the word before, don't worry. And, Emma, if you want, when we're not in at school, you can call me Regina."

"Ok, _that's_ weird," Emma scoffed.

"No, it's not. It's a small town, most of the students at Storybrooke High already knew me as Regina before I was ever their teacher. It's not weird."

"It's weird to me," Emma said, as she finished the last of her soup. "Thanks for this, by the way. I do feel a little better."

"You don't look much better," Regina frowned. "No offense."

"Wow, thanks," Emma said, rolling her eyes, even though she was sure Regina's assessment was probably accurate. When she said she felt a little better, she really did mean a _little_.

"Perhaps you should go lie down?" Regina suggested.

"Can't," Emma shrugged. "Kid's awake, that means I'm awake. Gotta sleep when they sleep."

"Yes, but as you can see, she's quite content sitting here with me," Regina pointed out.

Emma smiled. "Look, you keep going out of your way to help me, but you don't have to. I'm sure you have your own stuff to do. I feel bad that me and Kenzie take up so much of your time."

"Kenzie and I," Regina corrected, before she could catch herself. "And, I don't what you might think, I don't have an overly full social calendar. Furthermore, I need to spend time with her," Regina replied with a smirk.

Emma raised a questioning eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"I plan to win the bet."

* * *

Emma laid back in her bed, leaving the door cracked open, so she could hear if her daughter was giving Regina any issues. She smiled to herself as she heard her teacher's voice, saying "Say 'Regina', Re-gi- _na_." over and over. She supposed she had to give her credit: Regina was determined to win this bet, even if Emma knew her chances were basically non-existent.

Emma knew she was going to win, but what she hadn't decided on yet was what to say she wanted from Regina when she did win.

Her head was too foggy to think about that now, as she rolled over and tried to get some actual sleep. And after a while, she did just that.

* * *

In the living room, Regina was determined to made some headway with Mackenzie. She didn't have a lot of experience with little ones, but it couldn't be _that_ hard to teach a baby to say just one word.

Could it?

After all, Mackenzie could say "no" and "mama", so talking wasn't completely out of her skillset. Regina just needed to hone in and fine tune, break it down and teach it to her in parts, just like she'd break down a Shakespearean sonnet for her class.

"Okay," Regina said, turning the squirming child to face her again, "time for a new approach. Let's break it down. You can say 'no', how about 'na'? Can you say 'na'?"

Mackenzie stared at her for a moment, before squealing out "No!"

"No, no, honey. Say 'na', like Re-gi- _na_. Na."

"No na!"

Regina narrowed her eyes. "Are you telling me no? Or trying to say 'na'?" she asked, as if the baby could actually understand her. Mackenzie just pouted in response.

"Okay, okay, you win. Let's take a break," Regina said. She wasn't about to admit defeat, but that quivering bottom lip didn't look promising, and she knew if she let the baby start crying, Emma would be back in a flash, which would defeat the purpose of letting her rest.

Regina glanced around the room, for something to distract the child with, and her eyes fell almost immediately to Henry's storybook. "How about a story?" she suggested, as she reached for the book. "Snow White and Prince Charming's wedding. Let's start here."

Mackenzie settled in against her as Regina began to read to her.

* * *

When Emma woke again, she rolled over and looked at the time on her phone. She'd been asleep a little over an hour, and suddenly she felt so guilty for leaving Regina to take care of her daughter for that long. She pulled herself out of bed, hoping that the nap would have alleviated the cold a bit, but her head still felt congested and her throat was still sore and internally, she debated whether or not she'd get away with sleeping a little longer.

Deep down, she knew she probably _could_ get away with it, but then she knew she would feel even more guilty, so she wrapped a light blanket around herself, and headed toward the door to head back into the living room.

Emma smiled when she saw Kenzie still cuddled up on Regina's lap, as Regina read to her from Henry's book. Part of her wished she could just curl up against Regina, too, but she knew _that_ would be way too far past the line of what was and wasn't appropriate.

So she just sat down, more than a few inches away.

Regina looked up and frowned when Emma entered the room. Her wrist immediately went to Emma's forehead, making Emma blush. "You have a fever," Regina commented. "Have you taken anything?"

Emma shrugged and shook her head. "Nah, I want to try to ride it out as much as I can."

Regina nodded, but was still unable to hide the concern on her face.

"I'm fine, seriously," Emma insisted, with a small smile, before Regina could try to offer any more suggestions. She wasn't used to having _anyone_ take care of her, and after Mary Margaret this morning, and Regina this afternoon, it might just be enough to do her in. She needed to change the subject. "How's it coming teaching Kenzie to say 'Regina'?"

Regina smirked. "We're not sharing secrets with the enemy," she said, jokingly.

"Ah, so not well, then," Emma mused, shaking her head. "We need to set some parameters for this bet, don't you think?"

Regina raised an eyebrow. "What kind of parameters? You've already made it clear that she must say it perfectly, 'R' and all. What other types of stipulations do you wish to impose on me?"

"Uh, time, for one thing," Emma said. "I mean, she'll be able to say it _eventually,_ but this bet isn't going to go on till she's like five."

"How long then?"

"One month," Emma said, smirking.

"Five months," Regina countered.

"Three. Final offer. I'll give you until December 31st. She turns one on the 15th, but I'll give you leeway till the end of the year," Emma said, crossing her arms to imply finality to the offer.

"Oh, how generous of you," Regina said, rolling her eyes. "But fine. December 31st. Shake on it."

Emma giggled as she shook Regina's hand, and then turned her attention back to the book. "What are you reading to her?"

"Oh, well," Regina said, looking down at Kenzie again and giving her a little squeeze, "Mackenzie and I just attended Snow White and Prince Charming's wedding, didn't we? And we just got to the part where the Evil Queen came to threaten to curse them and take away all their happiness."

"Uh, wow, that's morbid," Emma commented. "If she has nightmares, I'm dropping her off at your place. I know where you live."

Regina frowned and closed the book, setting it back on the coffee table. "You're right, maybe that wasn't exactly appropriate."

"I was kidding. She'd a baby. She doesn't know what 'evil' or 'curse' mean, so you're in the clear. Was she good for you, at least?"

"She was perfect," Regina smiled, as Mackenzie looked up at her and smiled back.

"She's really taken with you," Emma commented. "You should be honoured. She's not exactly shy, but she doesn't usually take to people this quickly. She latched on to Mary Margaret pretty fast, too, but it took her a whole week before she stopped crying every time Henry looked at her. I was worried the poor kid was going to get a complex!"

Emma paused when her phone chimed her in pocket. She pulled it out and looked at the screen, rolling her eyes.

"What?" Regina asked, her interest already piqued.

"Ugh, Mayor Greene just texted me: 'E. Swamped at the office. Need you now. Z.' Like, what the hell? She knows I have a kid. I can't just drop everything and be at the beck and call every moment of the day," Emma lamented.

"Don't go in," Regina said, quickly. "You're sick and it's your day off. What could she possibly need you for on a Saturday, anyway?"

Emma shrugged as she shot back a text informing Zelena she couldn't come in. "Who knows? It doesn't really seem like she does much but boss people around anyway. Oh, shit, she just texted back. 'If you don't want to do your job, I'll find someone else who will.' What does that even mean? She's firing me if I don't go in?"

"Emma, seriously, don't go in," Regina repeated, more urgently this time. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something inside her told her Emma spending any time at all with the Mayor was a bad idea. "She's a toxic person and you don't need that job. You _know_ you don't need it."

Emma bit her bottom lip and looked at Regina, nervously. "I know," she sighed. "I know. You're right. David and Mary Margaret want me to quit, too. It's my senior year and I have to focus on school. I'm just scared. I mean, she's terrifying on a good day. I'm not sure I want to incur more of her wrath."

"You can't live your whole life in fear, Emma. Trust your instincts. You know what to do."

Emma nodded, and sent Zelena another text, reiterating that she would _not_ be coming in. As soon as she hit send, the door flung open, and she was greeted by two rambunctious boys running into the room.

"Emma! We won!" Neal cried, holding up the little gold-coloured medal around his neck.

"That's awesome, buddy," Emma grinned. "How about you, Henry? How'd your team do?"

"Second," Henry shrugged, "but I got ten goals, myself."

"Good job, kid."

"Emma, how are you feeling?" Mary Margaret asked, rushing over to feel her temperature again.

Emma couldn't help but laugh. "Fine. Really. It's seriously _just_ a cold. Miss Mills - uh, Regina - came over and brought me soup and watched Kenz so I could sleep."

Mary Margaret smiled over at Regina, while Mackenzie bounced up and down on her lap, attempting to get her attention. Mary Margaret scooped her up, and ushered the boys to their room, to get changed out of their soccer gear.

Emma turned back to Regina with a grateful smile. "Thanks for coming over today. I don't know if I'll get used to this whole 'teacher during the week, friend on the weekend' thing, but it's kind of cool."

"Oh, well, as long as it's kind of cool," Regina smirked. "And it was my pleasure, Emma. I like spending time with you. Now, try to get some more rest and take it easy, because I want you healthy for class Monday morning."

"Aye aye, Doctor," Emma said, with a mock salute, which was followed up by a short fit of coughing, which was greeted with a worried frown from Regina. "I'm fine, I'm fine!"

"Alright," Regina said, sounding unsure. "I'm going to head home now. Enjoy the rest of your evening."

"Thanks."

* * *

Regina, once again, felt that sense of complete loss and emptiness, the moment she left Emma. She wasn't sure what it was about that girl, but when she was around her, she felt so whole, like everything in the universe was in place. The moment she left, however, she felt that gaping hole in her soul return, and everything felt very, very wrong.

It was not a new feeling - this feeling that nothing in her life seemed to be where it belonged - but it was amplified now that she got fleeting moments of feeling like everything was right, for once. She desperately wanted to figure out how to make _that_ feeling stay, all the time.

And that night she dreamed. She dreamed of a sparkly skinned little man with horrible teeth and wild eyes. She dreamed that he was _her_ teacher, only he wasn't teaching her literature. He was teaching her something sinister and dark. She felt like she was standing outside herself, watching herself rip the heart out of another young woman - a complete stranger - and crush it to dust as the impish little man beamed his approval.

Regina woke in a cold sweat, shaking and crying, yet again. These dreams were getting out of hand, and she knew she had to tell someone about them, before they drove her mad.

But who?

* * *

 **In the next chapter: Who do you think Regina might choose to share her crazy dreams with, I wonder? And how will Zelena react to Emma's defiance?**

 **Also, place your bets now as to who will win the bet, and what they might choose at their prize for winning ;)**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: I know I have been super slacking on updating, but I went through some pretty hardcore writer's block, and I needed to take a writing break to refresh and get back into the flow. But now I'm back and updating everything, so thanks for sticking with my stories this far!**

 **Also, since this is AU, please assume that Lily's given name is Lily and not Lilith. I don't like her being named after a Biblical demon lol. Plus, no one ever calls her Lilith on the show anyway!**

* * *

 ** **Chapter Twelve****

* * *

Regina watched her classroom door expectantly as her second period senior English class began to file in. She got worried when nearly all of the seats were filled, and she'd yet to see Emma, but sure enough, just before the bell, Emma hurried in, flashing her a small smile as she found her seat.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen," Regina said, standing as the bell finished. "I have a couple of announcements to make before we begin. Firstly, as you know, we're reaching the end of our Hamlet unit."

Regina paused for the random cheers that erupted from the back corner of the room. "Don't get so excited, Mr. Jones, there's still an essay," Regina said, looking pointedly at Killian. "Carrying on, the state requires a creative writing portion of this class, and as such, I've decided this year, your creative writing assignments will be to write a fairytale. You can either make up your own, or put an original twist on a classic. We'll talk more about this next week, but I want you to be thinking about that and what you could potentially do with it."

Regina paused again to allow the wave of murmurs around the room. There was a time, even just weeks ago, that she never would have tolerated it, but she found she was calmer these days than she'd ever been, though she couldn't quite figure out _why_.

"Finally, as some of you may have heard, we have a new student joining us this week. She will be joining our class on Wednesday, and her name is," Regina stopped and checked the memo Cora had sent up to her regarding the new student. "Lily. I expect you to be welcoming and friendly to her, as it's not easy to start a new school, and especially not mid-semester."

Emma's eyes widened at the mention of Lily's name. That Lily could _not_ be her Lily… could she? She shook her head as she opened her text, once Regina had begun the actual lesson. It wasn't like Lily was an extremely rare name or anything, and Lily was in Boston, not Maine, so there was no need to overthink things.

Then again, Lily did always seem to show up when Emma least expected it, so who knew? She hadn't had any contact with Lily since the social worker had brought her here, and she didn't want to get her hopes up that her friend would be re-entering her life, again.

Still, thoughts of Lily combined with remnant of a head cold left Emma distracted, off in her own world, for the duration of class. Before she knew it, the bell had rung, and everyone else seemed to have already packed up their things. She scrambled to throw her books in her bag, but everyone else was already out of the room before she'd even managed to stand up.

"Where were you today, Emma?" Regina asked, as she approached Emma's desk. "You looked a little... lost."

Emma just smiled as she stood up. "My head's still a little fuzzy from that cold, still, I think. Sorry I was distracted… um, do you know the last name of this new girl, Lily?"

Regina looked confused as she shook her head. "The memo just says Lily… why, do you know her?"

"I don't know… maybe? There's a lot of people named Lily in the world, I'm sure."

"I'm sure there is. How are you feeling today?"

Emma offered a small smile. "Uh, better. Still sick, but better. I just hope that you don't catch it from me."

Regina shrugged. "I haven't so far. Any thoughts on what fairy tale you'd like to take on for this project?"

"Uh, no?" Emma said, with a small laugh. "I thought you weren't assigning it yet."

"I'm not, but I thought maybe something in Henry's book might have sparked an idea. That's where I got the idea for this assignment, actually. Fairy tales with a twist, that book is full of them, it seems."

"Oh, well I guess maybe I should read a little more of it then," Emma grinned. "I haven't even had a chance to ask Henry what he was so eager to show me. Fairy tales aren't really my thing, you know. Never have been, even when I was a kid."

Regina raised an eyebrow in surprise. "No? Why's that?"

"Real life doesn't have happy endings," Emma stated dryly, "so fairy tales just seem like a whole lot of false hope, you know? Like, no matter how bad it gets, the hero always comes out on top. It's unrealistic."

"Incorporate that then," Regina suggested. "Write a fairy tale where the hero loses and the villain wins."

"Yeah? Like Snow White eats the poisoned apple and true love's kisses doesn't revive her? The Evil Queen reigns victoriously, happily ever after, at last?"

"Well, why shouldn't the Evil Queen have a happy ending? She worked hard enough for it," Regina said, with a smile.

"Right. And Snow White had a privileged life. You know, up until the whole wicked stepmother thing. I could work with this," Emma grinned.

"Good. I'll look forward to it. Now you should head off before you miss all of lunch. You need to eat to recover."

"Right. Thanks Miss Mills. See you tomorrow."

* * *

After school, Emma debated whether or not she should go into her job at the Mayor's office or not. She hadn't heard anything back after the last text she'd sent Zelena, so she wasn't even completely sure if she _had_ a job anymore. Either way, she'd typed up her two weeks notice (despite the fact that David had insisted she hadn't worked there long enough to even have to give notice), and she breathed in a deep breath and set off towards the Mayor's office anyway, determined not to chicken out.

Emma took in another steadying breath as she reached the office, and stepped inside. Zelena was there, as was Principal Hart.

 _Wonderful._

Emma plastered on the best smile she could muster up, and stepped up to Zelena's office with purpose, holding the envelope in front of her.

"Emma. What's this," Zelena asked, somehow managing to look interested and yet indifferent at the same time.

"Um, it's… it's my two weeks notice. My, uh, my foster parents think —"

Zelena cut Emma off by grabbing the envelope from her hands. "If you want to quit Emma, just quit. Grow a backbone and don't cite your foster parents as the reason," Zelena said, rolling her eyes. "And I don't need two weeks, you can go now."

Emma stared at her for a moment, dumbfounded. "Oh, uh, okay. Sorry."

Zelena gave half a nod, and turned back to the paperwork on her desk as Emma turned and left.

"What was that about?" Cora asked her daughter, the second Emma had shut the door behind her.

Zelena shrugged. "I thought she might be important, but I now think I was mistaken. She's just another teenager. It must have been something else."

"Something else? Darling, what are you talking about?" Cora asked, shaking her head.

"Nothing mother!" Zelena snapped. "Must you always hover like this? Get out of my office!"

Cora sighed and shook her head, before turning to leave her daughter alone. Zelena dropped her head into her hands and bit the insides of her cheeks to stop herself from screaming. Something was very, very wrong in her town. The clock was moving, people weren't acting like themselves, and it had all started when those three foster kids had arrived.

For the life of her, however, she couldn't figure out what was causing it. She had been sure it centered around Emma, but she'd spend several hours with the girl to date, in her office, and thus far hadn't found anything particularly spectacular about the girl.

Zelena sighed and stretched her neck, trying to reduce some of the tension. She wasn't about to admit that hijacking her sister's curse had been a major mistake. She would just have to double her efforts and figure out exactly what the hell was going on.

* * *

"Hey kid," Emma grinned as she entered their home, Mackenzie firmly on her hip. Not surprisingly, Henry was completely engrossed in his story book.

"Hey, Emma, you're home early," Henry said, not looking up.

"Yup. I'm officially unemployed. Where's Mary Margaret?"

"Giving Neal a bath. The kindergarten class finger-painted today. He's a rainbow."

"Nice. So kid, what was it you wanted to show me in this book?" Emma asked, coming to sit next to him on the floor, Kenzie on her lap.

Henry raised a teasing eyebrow. "I'm not sure you're ready."

"Lay it on me, kid! Thanks to your book, I have to write a fairy tale for my English class."

"Alright, so look at this," Henry said, turning the page to Snow White and Prince Charming's wedding. "They look familiar?"

Emma grinned and shook her head. "Yeah, Snow White looks like Mary Margaret. We've been over this."

"Yeah, but that's not all. Look at Prince Charming. He looks like David. Even has the same scar," Henry said, excitedly, before flipping the page over. "And look! Look at the Evil Queen! She looks _exactly_ like your English teacher."

Emma narrowed her eyes at the picture, frowning. Henry did kind of have a point. "Okay, so clearly the book was illustrated by someone in Storybrooke then," she said, shrugging it off.

"No, but get this: there's no author named, no illustrator, no publishing company, no barcode, no ISBN! This book wasn't bought anywhere, at least not recently. There's not even a publication date."

"Okay, so it's an old book that the Nolan's probably bought at a flea market or something," Emma reasoned.

"An old book? With pictures of them in it? Come on, Emma! Plus, I asked Mary Margaret _and_ David, and neither of them have ever seen it! They said you must have brought it," Henry continued.

"Kid, that is _not_ my book. I don't even like fairy tales."

"Yeah, so where'd it come from then?"

"Maybe it was left behind by this place's previous owners?" Emma offered with a shrug.

Henry rolled his eyes and flipped ahead a couple pages. "Fine, explain this then," he said, pushing the book over to Emma. Emma drew in a sharp breath at the picture on the page. It was Prince Charming, holding a baby, wrapped up in a white baby blanket that looked just like hers — right down to her name embroidered on it in purple stitching.

Emma faltered for a moment, unsure of what to say. She sighed, and regained her composure before speaking again. "Someone's clearly playing an elaborate prank on us," she said, finally.

"Yeah? Who?" He challenged.

"I don't know, Henry! But that's not me, I'm _not_ a fairy tale character!"

"Well, according to this, you're the savior," Henry said, pulling the book back and closing it. "I knew you weren't ready."

"Yeah, I guess not," Emma agreed, standing again to go check in on the rainbow Neal situation in the bathroom.

Emma grinned as she leaned in the doorway. The water in the bath was a murky reddish-purple colour, and there was still yellow paint in Neal's hair and green around his forehead and ears.

"They told me this was water soluble," Mary Margaret sighed, when she spotted Emma and Mackenzie in the doorway.

"I'm sure it is, you've just got more paint than water at the moment," Emma said, laughing. "You look good, buddy."

Neal grinned, quite clearly proud of himself.

"How was school today, Emma," Mary Margaret asked, as she set to work on scrubbing Neal's hair.

"Okay. I have to write a fairy tale for Miss Mills' class. You were never Snow White in another life, were you?"

Mary Margaret just laughed. "I guess you've been talking to Henry, huh? If I was, I don't remember now. Isn't that how past lives work?"

Emma shrugged. "If I knew the answer, I'd tell you. It's weird though, isn't it? How the illustrations look like people from this town? Someone from here had to have written that book."

Mary Margaret shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know who would have written something like that, though. I kind of like that I got to be Snow White. She was always my favourite."

Emma smirked and shook her head. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised that someone as eternally sweet and hopeful as Mary Margaret would love Snow White.

"Yeah, cause it isn't weird that you talk to birds, and they come and actually answer!" Henry yelled from the other side, before they heard the door to his room close.

"Savior of what?" Emma asked, after following Henry down the hall and pushing his door back open.

"What?"

"That baby Emma, in your book, what is she the savior of?"

"Um, well the Evil Queen casts a curse to destroy everyone's happiness, and you - well, Emma, in the book - she's the savior. She's the only one who can break the curse," Henry explained.

"What if she doesn't break it?"

"Then the people stay cursed and miserable," Henry said, with a shrug.

"Okay, but then the Evil Queen wins, right? She gets her happy ending?"

"I guess… but I don't think villains really get happy endings. Why? Do you _want_ the Evil Queen to win?"

"It's just a story, Henry. But I'm getting an idea for _my_ fairy tale," Emma grinned, before carrying her daughter back into their own room. Mackenzie was nearly asleep, from a busy day at her new daycare, so Emma placed her in her crib and grabbed her binder from her backpack, opening to a new page.

She hesitated for a moment, before writing anything, and pulled out her phone, to send a text to Regina.

 _Can my fairy tale contain a same-sex relationship?_

She hesitated for a moment, and almost deleted the text, but decided to go for it, and send it anyway. After all, Regina had heard Ashley out her anyway, and why shouldn't she be able to write a fairy tale character that reflected herself?

Moments later, she received a text back.

 _Yes, but please keep it PG-rated. This is a public school ;)_

Emma grinned and shook her head at the implication that she would write anything other than PG-rated for her _teacher_ to read.

The project wouldn't be assigned for another week, but Emma's head was swimming with ideas _now_ , and she wanted to get started. She picked up her pen and started with a title:

 _The Savior, The Witch and the Evil Queen_

* * *

 **Sorry this chapter is a little shorter than usual, but since it's been forever since I updated last, I don't want to make you wait any longer! The next one will be back to usual length ;)**

 **Coming up next: A preview of Emma's fairytale, and Regina confesses her dreams to… well, you'll have to wait and see! Oh, and of course... Lily ;) See you next week!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

"Miss Mills," Emma said, grinning as she approached Regina's desk after class the following day. "I know you didn't assign it yet, but I have a sort of rough draft of my fairy tale, and I was wondering if you could take a look at it? Writing's not really my thing, so..."

Regina smiled, taking the notebook from Emma. "Of course. Leave it with me and I'll read it over lunch, alright?"

Emma nodded. "Thanks. It's kind of a twist on a twist, I guess. I got the inspiration from Henry's book."

"I can't wait," Regina said, sincerely. "Now go have lunch with your friends. I'll let you know what I think tomorrow, alright?"

Regina watched as Emma left the room, and flipped open her notebook the moment the classroom door was closed.

The first thing Regina noticed was a handwritten note from Emma to herself:

 _Dear Miss Mills,_

 _I hope you don't mind that I named one character after you. It was Henry's idea, actually, and it makes sense because Regina means Queen and all…. and I figured you're the only one who will see it anyway, so... but if it's not okay I will totally change it._

Regina smiled and shook her head, not sure if she should be honoured or nervous about the character Emma had named after her. She didn't waste much time thinking on that, however, as turned over the page to find Emma's story:

 _The Savior, The Witch and the Evil Queen_

 _Once upon a time there lived a beautiful princess... You know the one, perfect skin and hair, privileged life, the whole shebang. But, this story is not about THAT princess, oh no. This is a story about her lonely, misunderstood stepmother: The so-called 'Evil' Queen._

 _Yes, you read that right, The Evil Queen. You see, once upon a time, long before Snow White was ever even born, her step_ _-_ _mother-to-be, Regina, was just a young girl, pure and innocent._

 _But, innocence rarely lasts, does it?_

 _You see, our poor Regina was betrothed… to the King. Sounds awesome, right? Wrong._ _Really, just think about it..._ _what teenager wants to marry an old man? Regina wasn't all about power and money anyway. She just wanted true love. Was that so much to ask?_

 _Apparently so._

 _So Regina married the King and became step-mother to his super annoying daughter Snow White. The Princess talked to birds and woodland creatures and Regina lamented her life as step-mother to a girl who belonged in an asylum._

 _Her life sucked, but she took solace in the fact that she was the most beautiful woman in the realm. It wasn't because she was vain, or anything, but because she was smart enough to know that White Knights always rescue the sad, beautiful girls, and Regina had her eye on a specific knight in particular: the one they called the Savior._

 _The Savior was elusive, indeed, and no one knew his name or had seen his face, as he was always in head to toe armour, riding around on his gallant white steed._

 _Regina tried in vain to catch the attention of the Savior, but there was always people who needed saving more than she did. After all, she now appeared to have a privileged life as well, and from the outside looking in, no one knew how horrible life inside the palace really was for her._

 _So she came up with a plan._

 _Regina hired the Wicked Witch - the evillest being in all the realms - to 'kidnap' her, in return for promises of riches, so that the Savior would rescue her and fall in love._

 _It was the perfect plan, except for one fatal flaw: you just can't trust a witch to do your bidding._

 _The Wicked Witch abducted Regina, yes, but she didn't follow out the plan as promised. Instead, she locked Regina away in a tower, and used magic to assume Regina's image, taking her place in the palace as the King's doting Queen and Snow White's loving step-mother._

 _And that's when things got a little messy._

 _The Witch, being a witch and all, was a terrible Queen. She was power-hungry, and even went so far as to kill the King, and frame Snow White for the murder. She had a Huntsman chase Snow White into the woods, to retrieve her heart. She killed peasants, burned down villages, basically made life suck for everyone in the Enchanted Forest._

 _And Regina could do nothing more than watch from the tower, knowing that everyone believed it was her doing these horrible things._

 _But one person was not fooled. The one called the Savior, who had been watching the Queen with fascination ever since the royal wedding, knew that something was off. This woman, this tyrant, that was not the Regina that the Savior had come to know of. And thus, the Knight set off on a search for the REAL Regina, who must be hidden in the Kingdom SOMEWHERE._

 _Weeks turned into months, and months turned into years, and still Regina waited for rescue in the tower, thinking about how much it must have sucked to be Rapunzel, until one day, she heard a giant crash. She looked up, to see none other than the White Knight Savior kicking the door in._

 _Rescue had come at last!_

 _Regina lept to her feet. "My hero! You've come at last to rescue me!" she cried._

" _My Queen," the Savior bowed respectfully, removing his helmet in the process._

 _Or rather, HER helmet._

 _Regina gasped as long blond hair tumbled out of the helmet, and the Savior rose again to reveal her delicate, feminine face._

" _You're a girl!" Regina gasped._

" _Bet you didn't see that coming," The Savior grinned. "Hope that's not gonna be a problem."_

" _Not at all," Regina smiled, "and now, your reward…"_

 _The Savior blushed as the Queen stepped up to her to reward her with the standard kiss. But this kiss was anything but standard. They both knew: it was true love._

 _And so, the Savior and the Queen returned to the Palace and defeated the Wicked Witch, reclaiming the Kingdom, ruling together forever as the not-so Evil Queen and her Savior. And they lived happily ever after._

 _The End._

 _PS Sorry I made you gay. Hope that's not a problem…_

Regina smiled and shook her head. She wasn't sure what she'd expected when she'd started Emma's fairy tale, but it wasn't _that_. Still, she was oddly intrigued by the whole premise, and couldn't help but picture Emma's face as the mysterious blond haired Savior.

 _Savior._

Why was that word sticking out to her so much? It gave Regina an unsettled feeling, like a memory of something she'd long ago forgotten. The Savior was important, somehow, but why?

She jumped suddenly, ripped from her thoughts, when there was a rapping at the door. She glanced over to see Emma standing there, grinning through the window. They were barely fifteen minutes unto the lunch period, and Regina waved for Emma to come in.

"What did you think?" Emma asked, excitedly.

"How do you even know I read it yet?" Regina teased, raising an eyebrow as Emma pulled up a chair to her desk. When did they become so… _familiar_? She guessed showing up at her home more than once, and taking care of Emma's daughter, as well as Emma, when she was sick, had changed their relationship to something beyond simply teacher and student.

"Lucky guess," Emma shrugged, nodding at her notebook which was clearly open to the end of her story. "So…?"

"It's not bad," Regina said, smiling. "Written like a teenager, but the story is interesting. You definitely did a twist on a twist, but I think there are some details you might need to flesh out a bit.

"Well, you said to keep it PG-rated," Emma replied, smirking.

Regina couldn't help the little blush creeping up on her flesh. "Not what I meant. I mean, perhaps details on how they defeated the Wicked Witch? Or more details on how your _Regina_ felt being married to the King? Or locked in the tower for years?"

Emma nodded. "I don't really know what it would feel like to be married to a King," she confessed.

"I think… it would feel terribly lonely. I think she would have felt like a possession. She's Snow White's step-mother, which means she's a second wife to the King, but they never had children together, so I would imagine she feels inadequate. Perhaps she feels like the King doesn't love her as much as he loved his first wife, since she can't give him the same things that Snow White's mother did. I think she would feel like she never truly belonged."

Emma blinked at Regina a few times before speaking. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were speaking from experience."

Regina drummed her finger-tips nervously on the desk. "Why, um… why did Henry suggest my name?"

Emma shrugged. "He thinks you look like the Evil Queen from his storybook. Actually, he thinks everyone in that book look like people in Storybrooke."

Emma expected Regina to laugh, but instead, she noted her teacher got a perplexing, faraway look in her eye. The smile fell from Emma's face as she worried she'd just offended the only teacher she'd ever actually _liked_ in her schooling career.

"Hey, that's just what Henry thinks, you know? And, I mean, it's not like I even made you the villain of the story or anything," Emma stammered, silently kicking herself for ever thinking it was okay to put Regina in the story at all. Emma began to panic as she considered the possible ramifications if Regina figured out who this elusive blonde savior was supposed to be.

 _Shit shit shit! Nice one, Swan. Fuck._

But Regina just shook her head. "No, it's not that. It's just… Emma, can I ask you something?"

"Uh, sure?"

"Do you believe in reincarnation?"

Emma faltered for a moment. Of all the millions of things she thought Regina _might_ ask her, this one didn't even come close to making the list. "Like, past lives and stuff? Um… I've never really put much thought into it. Why?"

Regina shrugged. "I hadn't really thought about it much either, to be honest, until recently. I haven't told anyone this, so this stays between us, okay?"

"Yeah, absolutely," Emma nodded enthusiastically, excited to know what on earth her teacher was about to confess to her.

"I've been having these… _bizarre_ dreams, lately. They are so strange… I'm young, and Daniel's there, only it's not our lives, I'm a princess," Regina began, smirking and shaking her head at the notion that she might have ever been a princess, "and Daniel's a stable boy, and we're having a secret affair."

Emma grinned. "That sounds adorable."

"Yes, well, it's not, really. In my dreams, Principal Hart, of all people, is my _mother_. And she kills Daniel and… I marry a King."

Emma swallowed hard. What were the odds that she wrote a storyline for Regina that nearly mirrored the dreams she'd been having?

"So, what… you think this actually happened? Like, in a past life?"

Regina shrugged again. "I don't know what to think. Emma, these aren't like normal dreams. They feel so _real_. It's like I'm remembering things I forgot ages ago. But it doesn't make any sense, because those things never happened. I just… I don't know how to explain it."

"Not everything in life can be explained," Emma said, with a shrug. "Sometimes things just happen. It's like fate, or something."

"You really believe that?"

"I don't know. I guess?"

"Fate. Like how you waltzed into Storybrooke one day and everything just changed? Was that fate? I didn't start having these dreams until you got here, you know."

Emma smirked and raised an eyebrow, teasingly. "If you were dreaming about _me_ I might think it was fate." Emma paled the moment she realized what she'd just said. "Oh, shit, I shouldn't have… sorry."

But Regina just smiled. "It's fine. Though given the nature of our relationship, I think dreaming about you would be highly inappropriate, don't you?"

"Right, it's the student who is supposed to have the teacher fetish, not the other way around right?"

 _Fuck, Swan, why can you not control your mouth?_

"I mean… crap, I'm just going to stop talking now," Emma said, her face beet red.

"Well, this is certainly not the tangent I expected this conversation to take," Regina acknowledged, picking up Emma's fairy tale again to an attempt to derail the current course of discussion.

"Yeah, me either. It must be the baby-induced sleep deprivation… makes my brain forget to function sometimes."

"Take this home and think about adding some revisions, alright?" Regina suggested, handing the fairy tale back to Emma. "I think you've got a solid start. You just need to flesh it out a bit. Think about adding more description to your characters; all we know so far, is that the Savior is blonde, but what about the Queen? All you said was that she was beautiful, but not vain. Even the Wicked Witch; she could use some more descriptions: how did the Queen and the Witch meet? What gave the Wicked Witch who posed as the Evil Queen away, to our illustrious Savior?"

"I imagined the Wicked Witch looking just like Mayor Greene," Emma grinned.

"I did, too," Regina admitted. "By the way, you mentioned Henry thinks everyone in Storybrooke is in that book? Who does he think the Nolans are?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Snow White and Prince Charming."

"Mary Margaret as Snow White? Yeah, I could see that," Regina nodded.

"Yeah, but you should hate her then, right? According to the story, anyway. See, there's the flaw in Henry's theory: he thinks that the Evil Queen cast a curse, and that's how everyone got out of the stories and into the real world. But the problem is, if that were true, you wouldn't be friends with Mary Margaret, would you?"

"I suppose not," Regina nodded. "And if I sent everyone here, I certainly wouldn't have made myself a high school English teacher living in a tiny apartment."

"Right. You would have been like, the Mayor or something. That's why I added the Wicked Witch to my fairy tale… Henry and I were brainstorming ideas, and I said if anyone cast a curse on this town, it was totally Zelena. The story kind of evolved from there. Then I began wondering what she would get from it, what she could possibly win; which is her character then? And when I realize I'm going down the rabbit hole, is when I called quits to the whole plan. It's too much, too soon."

Regina nodded, taking in what Emma was saying. She guessed she must be more than a little sleep deprived as well, from all the nightmares, because Emma's words were actually making _sense._

"You okay?"

Emma's voice snapped Regina out of it, and she realized she had been staring off, lost in her own thoughts, for a little bit too long. "Yes. I'm fine, dear. Go, before you miss the rest of lunch. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay," Emma agreed, and hesitated once more before standing up to leave the classroom. She shoved her story into her backpack as she hurried down the hallway, and looked up just in time to run smack into another student.

"Oh! Sorry!" Emma gasped, as the other girl stumbled back. Emma's eyes widened as the other girl lifted her head, and she saw an all-too-familiar face. "Lily?"

Lily shook her head and grinned. "Hey, Emma."

Emma blinked a few times, in disbelief. "I… what are you doing here? They said there was a 'Lily' coming here, but I thought you graduated?"

"I did. It's, uh, it's a long story. August sent me here to help you," Lily explained in a hushed voice, glancing around to make sure no one else was listening.

"August? Who? What are you talking about?"

"Emma, I'll explain everything, but you're not safe here. No one here is who they say they are."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Is this some kind of joke? Because it's not funny. This is the best situation I've ever been lucky enough to fall into, so don't come here and say this shit to get me to run off with you and Neal, because I'm not leaving."

"Emma, that's not what this is. I'm serious. You've got a teacher, right? Miss Mills?" Lily asked, her dark eyes boring into Emma's with a deep intensity.

"Yeah, so?"

"Yeah, she's dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Emma scoffed. "She's like the nicest person ever. And a little awkward, and cute. She's not dangerous."

"She's _not_ who she says she is. And I guarantee she knows who you are."

"Yeah, well, I'm in her class, so yeah, she knows who I am," Emma replied, not bothering to hide her annoyance.

"No, I mean, who you _really_ are. I don't think you even know yet, but Emma, you're important, and you're a threat to her, and she knows it. Come on, blow off school this afternoon, and come with me. I'll explain everything," Lily insisted.

"No. Lily, I don't do that anymore. Seriously, I've got a good thing going here. I'm not going to screw it up. I don't know what you think you know, but you're wrong. Miss Mills is fine, my foster parents are actually great, I've got friends, Kenzie's thriving, life's good here."

Lily breathed a heavy sigh. "Fine. Whatever. Go to class, but you're going to have to hear me out sooner or later, Emma. I'm not leaving Storybrooke until you do."

Emma shook her head as the bell rang. "I have to go," she said, not giving Lily another chance to say another word as she headed down the hallway to her third period class.

* * *

That evening, once Kenzie was down for the night, Emma sat down on her bed with her notebook, and Henry's storybook, flipping through the pages for more inspiration for her story. Her mind was reeling with new information, from what Regina had told her about dreams and questions about past lives, to her strange meeting with Lily in the hall, but there was one thing that was sticking out to Emma more than anything: she'd written Regina falling in love with a female Savior, and her teacher hadn't so much as _commented_ on it.

Emma wasn't sure how to take that. She wondered if maybe it made her uncomfortable, so she ignored it completely, but that didn't exactly make sense since she'd been so open talking about her strange dreams. So maybe it didn't make her uncomfortable, then?

Emma let her head drop to her hands as she let out a long breath. When the hell had she developed a crush on her English teacher? She hadn't even realized it was happening, and yet, there she was, writing about saving her and kissing her, and then giving it to her to actually _read_.

Emma was startled out of her thoughts by her cell phone chiming. She grabbed it, and swiped the screen to find a text from Ruby.

 _Holy shit, you got nominated._

Emma started at the screen in confusion for a moment, before typing back, _Nominated for what?_

 _The Fall Formal Queen lmao_

 _WTF is the Fall Formal Queen?_

Emma felt a lump forming in her throat. She wasn't into dances and school events, and she certainly wasn't into being nominated, for _anything_ , let alone something that had the title of 'Queen'.

 _It's exactly what it sounds like, duh. Fancy dresses, school dance, voting and shit. You're up against Ashley and moi_

Emma shook her head, and smirked. If she had to be nominated, at least she was up against her friends, and they could all laugh about how ridiculous it all was, together.

 _Pls tell me that Killian is NOT nominated for King…_

 _LOL, girl, you know he is. And he will probably win, FYI_

Emma groaned, and rolled her eyes before responding. _Well, then I plan to lose. Let Ashley win, and then you and I can just dance together all night. What the hell do I want a King for anyway? I'd rather have a Queen and you know it ;)_

Emma looked up as there was a light knocking on the door frame of her open doorway, and Mary Margaret slipped inside.

"Hey," Emma sighed, closing her book and turning to her foster mother. "So apparently I just got nominated for some Fall Formal Queen thing. I didn't even know this was a thing but… um…"

"But you want me to help you pick out a dress?" Mary Margaret asked, hopefully. Emma couldn't help but smile at the way her face lit up.

"Yeah. I've never really… um, dresses aren't like my thing, you know?" Emma stammered. Truthfully, she wasn't sure if dresses maybe _could_ be her thing, if she'd ever had someone to help her with things like that. Someone like Mary Margaret; _maybe_.

"I'd be honoured, Emma," Mary Margaret smiled.

"Thanks. So, um, did you want something?"

"Just to say goodnight," Mary Margaret said.

"Oh. Good night."

Emma smiled as she watched Mary Margaret leave the room. Never in her life had she been in a home like this, where the mother just stopped by to say 'good night'. It was weird but also oddly refreshing, and Emma thought maybe she could get used to this.

Well, as long as Lily wasn't here to screw everything up.

Emma sighed. Tomorrow was Wednesday, which meant that tomorrow Lily would officially be starting school. Whatever her game was here, Emma knew she was going to have to face every day now. She knew Lily was in her English class for sure, but she was silently hoping that perhaps that would be the only class they shared together.

There was a time when Emma had thought that maybe she and Lily would be together forever, like sisters. Lily was the closest thing to a family she'd ever had, and it troubled her that she was here, now, about to screw up the best thing she'd ever had going for her.

But it wasn't like this was the first time she'd done that. Emma guessed she should be used to Lily showing up at the worst possible times by now.

And to call Regina _dangerous_ , of all things? How could Lily even know that? As far as Emma knew, Lily had never been to Maine, and Regina had never really been outside of Maine, so there was no way they knew each other.

No. It had to be a prank. Emma knew that Lily and Neal thought they were funny with their pranks, and neither of them knew when they were taking things too far. She guessed it was far more likely that Lily had been lying about ever graduating high school, and didn't want to admit it now, so she'd come up with some elaborate lie to cover it up.

Yes, that had to be it. Emma was sure.

Because there was no way Regina was dangerous. That much, Emma was sure of.


	14. Chapter 14

********Chapter Fourteen****

* * *

" _August sent me here to help you."_

Lily's words repeated over and over in Emma's brain as she tried to sleep. Shortly after midnight it hit her: August. That was the first name of the social worker who'd brought her to Storybrooke.

 _Five Weeks Ago_

 _Emma sat on the bench of the CPS office in Boston, her daughter sleeping curled up in her lap, waiting for the woman behind the desk to finish the paperwork to send her to yet another home._

 _She thought she'd been in the clear when she moved in with Neal and Lily, and for the life of her, she still couldn't figure out exactly how Children's Services had managed to find her after all this time. Why had they even bothered? Emma was less than two months away from turning eighteen and aging out of the system completely, and yet, somehow, they managed to show up at the apartment and threaten to have her daughter removed if she didn't go with them._

 _Emma wasn't entirely sure if they were legally able to carry out their threat to remove her daughter, but she wasn't about to take any chances, either._

 _She watched as a scruffy looking man in a leather jacket entered the waiting room and approached her._

" _Emma Swan?"_

 _Emma narrowed her eyes and nodded, unsure exactly what this man could possibly want with her or how he even knew her._

" _I'm August Booth. I need you to come with me," the man said._

 _Emma glanced around him to where the receptionist was sitting, still clearly working on Emma's paperwork._

" _Who are you?"_

 _August leaned in a little closer. "Your new social worker. Come on. It's time to go."_

" _She hasn't even finished my paperwork. And she said I had a lady social worker," Emma pointed out._

" _She made a mistake," August said, with a shrug, as he pulled out what appeared to be the proper documentation, as far as Emma could tell._

 _Emma sighed. This wasn't the first time she'd been jerked around in the CPS office by people who had no idea what they were doing. Though August appeared to be dressed more informally than she'd ever seen any social worker dress, he did have her paperwork, and she guessed she might as well go with him. She'd had about enough of this office anyway._

 _Emma swung Kenzie's diaper bag over one shoulder, and stood carefully, trying not to wake the baby, as August grabbed the carseat and Emma's small suitcase. She followed August out the side door, where he led her to a beat up looking station wagon._

" _I have a car," Emma pointed out._

" _And we'd be more than happy to have it driven to your new address, August replied with a nod. "However, we'd like to ensure that you make it to your destination first."_

 _Emma pursed her lips as she opened the back door of the car, so August could put the car seat in._

" _Emma!"_

 _Emma face broke out in a huge grin as she met the bright green eyes of little Neal, smiling at her from his place in the backseat, next to an older boy with darker hair and an apprehensive look on his face._

" _Neal! No way," Emma said, surprised the kid remembered her at all. He had been three the last time he saw her._

" _You and Neal are headed to the same home, along with Henry here," August acknowledged. "Here, hand me the baby. I don't really know how this seat goes in."_

 _Emma narrowed her eyes suspiciously, as she opted to place Mackenzie carefully in Neal's lap instead. What kind of social worker didn't know how to put a car seat in a car? She opted not to ask as she hooked the seat up in between the two boys, and then strapped the sleeping Mackenzie in securely. It didn't really matter what kind of social worker August was, she reasoned, because she was going to a new home with Neal, and she wasn't about to abandon the little guy she'd become so close to._

 _If Neal had never been moved out of the first home they'd been in together, she probably never would have ran away. Then again, there would be no Mackenzie if she hadn't, so she guessed she should be grateful for the way it all worked out._

" _So, where are we headed?" Emma asked, as she took her place in the passenger seat, glancing forlornly out the window at her Bug as they pulled away._

" _Maine," August replied, and Emma rolled her eyes._

" _Awesome," she sighed._

" _It might be."_

 _Emma looked at August and shook her head. There was no way this was going to be awesome. How on earth had they managed to send four kids to one home anyway? Especially when Emma was about to age out and her daughter wasn't even in the system. It didn't make sense._

" _How did CPS even find me?" Emma asked, finally._

 _August shrugged. "Anonymous call."_

 _Emma shook her head again. An anonymous call had to have either been Lily or Neal, since they were the only ones who knew she was a runaway foster kid in the first place. But she thought they'd liked having her there? Lily seemed distraught enough when they'd shipped Emma and Mackenzie off to a group home for the weeks leading up to finding a suitable placement._

 _She'd thought finding a placement would be impossible, and yet, here they were._

" _So tell me about these parents? How many other kids do they have?"_

" _None. They want kids but it's never really worked out."_

" _They have no kids and now they're taking in four? No offense, August, but they kinda come off sounding like nutjobs."_

 _August laughed and shook his head. "They're not. You'll see. We were originally just sending Henry, but there was a mishap in the paperwork and and both Henry and Neal got processed through for that home. We called them and they said they'd be happy to take both boys. Then you came along, and as you know, you were difficult to place. On a longshot, we asked this couple since Henry and Neal were coming through the Boston agency as well, and they said yes."_

" _Nutjobs. Just like I said," Emma sighed._

 _She and August made small talk for the rest of the trip to Maine, as Henry and Neal dozed off in the backseat. Emma rolled her eyes again as they passed a sign reading 'Storybrooke'._

" _Wow," Emma commented, sarcastically, but August decided against replying._

 _Soon enough, they were pulling up in front of a small white house, where a young couple stood standing on the front porch, the blond haired man in jeans and a red plaid shirt, with his arm around his brunette wife, who looked every bit the mother and housewife in her powder blue sundress, grinning ear to ear._

" _David and Mary Margaret," August said, as he pulled into the driveway._

" _Suits them," Emma said with a smirk, though she didn't get the general uneasy feeling from them that she did from most homes she went to. Maybe it was because she was older and a mother now herself, but something felt a little more natural about this._

 _Maybe she could give them a chance. Maybe Mackenzie could grow up in a real house with a family, instead of bunking in an apartment with Emma's friends. She deserved that much._

 _Emma deserved it too, though she'd long since given up on hope of that happening._

 _Once he was out of the car, August woke up the boys, and Emma watched them sleepily make their way up to greet David and Mary Margaret as she freed Mackenzie from her car seat. She noted that Neal seemed very nonchalant about the whole thing, and she knew he'd been to several homes already. This was nothing new._

 _Henry, however, seemed much more confused and awkward, and Emma had to wonder if he'd recently been removed from his home and this experience was all new to him. She was sure she'd find out eventually, but something seemed a little off about that boy._

 _Emma finally made her way up to greet her new foster parents, with an awkward smile. She'd done this a million times before, but something about the bliss in David and Mary Margaret's eyes was suddenly making her feel very, very shy._

" _Emma," Mary Margaret greeted warming. "And this must be Mackenzie."_

" _She's shy," Emma said, on reflex, as she knew her daughter always hid from new people._

" _She doesn't look shy," David commented, and Emma looked down to see her daughter smiling widely at the new couple._

" _Oh," Emma said, surprised, and shrugged. "She's usually shy."_

" _May I?" Mary Margaret asked, holding out her hands to the baby as David set off to help August with the suitcases._

" _Uh, yeah, I guess," Emma replied, handing her daughter to the woman. To her surprise, Mackenzie didn't scream the way she normally did if anyone other than herself, Lily or Neal even looked at her. In fact, she seemed quite content in Mary Margaret's arms._

" _Huh," Emma said, under her breath, as she followed Mary Margaret into the house._

 _Something was different about this place._

Emma shook the memory of arriving in Storybrooke out of her head, and furrowed her brow in confusion, trying to figure out what connection Lily could possibly have to her most recent social worker, and why on earth he would have sent her here to help. August had been strange at best, but he'd also gotten her into a really good situation.

If something were wrong, why wouldn't he just come here himself? It made no sense.

* * *

The following morning, Emma was exhausted by the time she got to school in the morning. She'd barely gotten any sleep, and she was relieved, at least, that Lily wasn't in her first period math class.

However, just as she knew she would be, Lily was present in her second period English class. This had once been her favourite class of the day, but now Lily's presence made it awkward.

"Class," Regina said, once everyone was settled, and Lily was seated to the right and back one row from Emma. "As you know, we have a new student joining us today. Please welcome Lily Page."

Lily smiled awkwardly as everyone turned to look at her. The disturbance was short-lived, however, as Regina jumped right into teaching her lesson, before breaking the class into groups just past the halfway point.

"Ruby, I would like Lily to join your group," Regina called out, and Emma noted how similar it was to her first day when Regina had asked Ruby to pair up with her. She'd been more formal back then, referring to them as 'Miss Lucas' and 'Miss Swan', and Emma also couldn't help but feel a little hurt that Regina had specifically called on Ruby by name, and not Emma.

She thought she'd been becoming something special to Regina, but then, she noted, Regina and Ruby seemed to have a good relationship outside of school hours as well.

Emma tried to convince herself that it made no sense to be jealous over something so small, but she couldn't help it. Her mind was all over the place as she joined her regular group, where Ruby was introducing Lily to Ashley, even though Ruby herself had just met Lily a moment ago.

"And this is Emma," Ruby said, with a grin, as Emma sat down.

"Actually, I know Emma," Lily said, shooting Emma a smile, and momentarily Emma panicked, wondering what Lily might say next.

"Really? How?" Ashley asked. She was never one to miss a single piece of information.

"We went to school together, a few years ago. Funny that we'd end up in the same school again."

"Small world," Emma agreed, though she and Lily had never once been in the same school before.

"What other classes do you have?" Ashley asked.

"Uh," Lily said, grabbing her own handwritten class schedule from her pocket. "Third period World History and fourth, Biology."

"You're in my biology class," Emma commented, though she was less than enthusiastic about it.

"Awesome," Lily said with a grin.

"Yeah," Emma sighed.

* * *

Emma hadn't been able to avoid Lily at lunch, as Ruby and Ashley had invited her to sit with them and she couldn't even deke out to spend her lunch hour with Regina instead, as the teachers all had a lunchtime meeting.

Emma opted instead to work on her fairy tale while Lily filled the girls in on her life - almost all of which she was making up on the spot, much like she had when Emma had first met her. Emma noted that Lily left out the part where she had already graduated highschool and was living with her 28-year-old boyfriend. Emma wasn't sure what her game was, but she decided against calling her out in front of everyone until she knew exactly what was going on.

After her art class was over, Emma met up with Lily in front of the biology room door.

"Hey, thanks for not ratting me out to your friends," Lily said, in a hushed voice, as they headed into the room.

"Yeah, um, about that. Why are you lying, Lily? What the hell is going on?"

"Look, I can't tell you right now. But I'll fill you in soon, okay? Just trust me."

Emma sighed and pursed her lips. She'd gotten herself into trouble trusting Lily before, and she wasn't sure she wanted to go down that road again when everything about this situation felt off.

"Is that the bio teacher?" Lily asked, scrunching up her nose.

Emma turned to look. "No… that's Dr. Hopper. He's the guidance counselor."

Before Emma could continue, Dr. Hopper stood, easily drawing in the attention of the class, as the students were wondering where their teacher was and why the guidance counselor was there.

"Class, as you may have heard, Ms. Draken is out with a stomach bug, so I'll be covering her classes until she returns," Dr. Hopper explained, trying to put on an air of confidence though he was quite clearly way out of his element.

Emma narrowed her eyes and glanced at Liam, Killian's older brother who was back for a victory lap to improve his grades for his college application, and who sat at her table in biology. "Storybrooke doesn't have substitute teachers?"

Liam shrugged. "Can't ever remember having a teacher out sick," he admitted. "And hey, congrats."

"On what?"

"Your Fall Formal Queen nomination. Killian's pretty stoked. He's convinced it's going to be you and him," Liam said with a knowing wink. He was well aware of his brother's ill fated crush on Emma, and also well aware that Emma wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.

"Tell your brother tough luck," she said with a smirk.

* * *

In her own classroom, Regina was just packing up for the day, after the last of her fourth period students had exited the room, when there was a knock at her door. She forced herself to hold in her grimace as she looked up to see Principal Hart walking in.

"Cora," she greeted, trying to sound nonchalant as she stood.

"Regina, we need to have a discussion," Cora said, not wasting any time, as per usual.

"Really. About what, I wonder?"

"Well, I see you signed up to chaperone the Fall Formal at the meeting this afternoon," Cora observed.

"Yes, well, haven't you always said I'm just putting in time here and I need to interact more with my students if I want them to excel?"

Cora pursed her lips and gave a small nod. "I did, but I fear you've taken it a little too far as of late, with a particular student."

Regina swallowed hard, her nerves suddenly getting the best of her, as she tried to keep her cool. "What on earth are you referring to?"

"I think you know. You've been spending a good deal of time with the young Miss Swan outside of school hours."

Regina shook her head, wondering how Principal Hart could _possibly_ know that. Then again, she always seemed to know everything. Jefferson had said, more than once, that he thought she had spies all over the town. Regina thought that was crazy, but now she wasn't quite so sure.

"Mary Margaret and I are friends," Regina began to explain. Friends was kind of an exaggeration, as Regina hadn't spent much time with Mary Margaret until Emma had arrived, though they had always been friendly. "She just took in four kids and sometimes she needs help. Emma just happens to be there."

Cora raised an eyebrow. "Well, forgive me if that's not the way it appears from the outside. Emma has only been here a few weeks, and she's already made something of a reputation for herself. She likes to play fast and loose with the rules of this school, and I worry about how much further she might take things if she knows she has one of her teachers in her back pocket."

"Emma's a good, mature young lady and a good student. She's got a lot on her plate and she's handling the best she can. I'm not crossing any lines here, professional or otherwise."

"Good," Cora said, curtly. "Please be sure that you don't. Or there will be consequences."

Regina shuddered as Cora turned to leave the room. She wasn't sure exactly what consequences could come of spending time with Emma, but she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

Then again, she wasn't about to abandon Emma, either.

* * *

After school, as promised, Mary Margaret took Emma out to look for a dress for the upcoming Fall Formal, leaving David at home with the boys and Mackenzie.

"Maybe we shouldn't leave David with all the kids," Emma said, nervously, as they approached the store's entrance. "Maybe it's too much. He worked all day. We can do this another time."

"Emma," Mary Margaret said, with a smile. "David if fine. And even if he wasn't fine, we both have our cell phones. Don't worry about David or the kids, we're here for you."

"Right," Emma nodded, looking at the store again. "Okay, yeah. Let's do this."

"Emma," Mary Margaret laughed. "You talk like you're pumping yourself up to enter battle or something. We're just going dress shopping."

Emma nodded again, chewing on her bottom lip. What Mary Margaret didn't seem to realize was that she'd never once been dress shopping. Shopping was something that mothers and daughters did together, and since she'd never had a mother or been a daughter, this was all unfamiliar territory for her.

And terrifying.

Emma's eyes wandered around the store falling from pretty dress to pretty dress, but she didn't even have the fainted idea where to start.

Mary Margaret, however, seemed to know exactly what she was doing, as she immediately picked a ombre pink to white dress off the rack. "What do you think of this one?"

It was floor length and sleeveless and glittery and Emma looked horrified. "No pink," she said simply, causing Mary Margaret to smile and shake her head as she returned the dress to it's spot.

"Okay," she agreed, immediately finding another dress she liked. This one was shorter, powder blue, with spaghetti straps and a poofy skirt. "What about this?"

Emma shook her head vehemently. "No. Nothing that poofs like that. Something… I don't know… not so _girly_."

Emma worried that perhaps she might be hurting Mary Margaret's feelings, but her foster mother just smiled again. "Okay. A dress that's not girly. Who doesn't love a challenge, right?"

Emma followed silently behind Mary Margaret as she looked at more dresses. Nothing Emma saw even remotely interested her, and she was starting to wonder what the hell was wrong with her. Sure, she didn't really want to go to this dance and she certainly had no interest in being named 'Queen', but she had asked Mary Margaret to bring her out shopping. She just wished she could be as into it as the other woman was.

"Look, Emma. You like yellow, right?" Mary Margaret asked, finding another sleeveless floor length dress. This one didn't shimmer, but simple and layered with sheer fabric.

Of all the dresses she'd seen so far, this was the best one, but she still didn't love it, and before she could even answer, Mary Margaret realized that her face showed it. She put it back and turned to Emma.

"How about we look in a different section, alright?" Mary Margaret suggested.

Emma nodded and followed, feeling like she might cry. She'd felt out of her element a million times before, and it had never really faze her, but this time was different because she so desperately _wanted_ this to feel right.

Emma followed behind Mary Margaret as she exited the dress section completely, and headed to the other side of the store.

Suits.

Emma looked at Mary Margaret in utter confusion. "You think I should wear a suit?"

Mary Margaret shrugged, and gave her a small smile. "What do you think?"

Emma glanced around the options, and immediately found more than one that she would feel a lot more comfortable in than any dress.

"But… it's not going to bother you? You looked so excited when I asked you to take me out dress shopping. You never had a daughter and now-"

"Emma," Mary Margaret cut her off before she could say anymore. "I wasn't excited about buying a dress. I was excited about spending time with you. I don't care what you buy as long as you love it."

Emma felt like she might cry all over again, but for all the right reasons this time. Without a second thought, she wrapped her arms around Mary Margaret for the second time since she'd met her, and whispered "thank you" into her ear.

In the end, Emma willingly tried on and modelled over a dozen suits for Mary Margaret, laughing as she strutted her best runway model strut as Mary Margaret beamed at her, before finally deciding on a pair of charcoal pinstriped pants with a matching vest, a white shirt and a yellow tie.

"Look, they have a matching fedora," Mary Margaret pointed out, showing Emma the charcoal pinstriped hat.

"But then, where will I put my crown?" Emma laughed.

Mary Margaret grinned and put the hat back on the shelf. "Good point," she agreed, causing Emma to laugh again. For a moment, Mary Margaret just stopped at looked at the girl, realizing she'd never seen her looking so carefree, since the moment she'd arrived in Storybrooke. She laughed and smiled when she played with the kids, but it was always overtaken by her more serious nature. This time, however, it was like Emma truly didn't have a care in the world.

And Mary Margaret liked her like this.

As they left the store, Mary Margaret tentatively put an arm around Emma's shoulders. She expected the girl to tense up and back away, but instead, Emma smiled, and leaned her head in to rest it on Mary Margaret's shoulder as they walked towards the car.

"This was fun," Mary Margaret said, grinning.

"Yeah, it really was," Emma agreed.

Again, she thought back to the day she'd arrived in Storybrooke, asking August what kind of nutjob would actually take her in. She realized now she'd had Mary Margaret pegged all wrong right from the start. She wasn't a nutjob, she was a mother in desperate need of children to love.

And she was exactly what Emma needed.

* * *

 **In the next chapter: Ms. Draken returns to her position as the biology teacher, and it changes everything. Regina finds out what the consequences of her 'unprofessional' are and Emma and Regina bond (a lot, since they didn't really interact in this chapter and I'm gonna make up for that next chapter!)**


End file.
